A Night To Remember
by Aszii
Summary: Alois runs away from the Trancy manor when he simply cannot find a wish to be granted by the demon. He is found by a rather odd character and brought to an even odder circus. AU that leads into the Noah's Ark Circus arc, with eventual Ciel x Alois.
1. Chapter One: Welcome to the Family

He knew in his heart that it had to be done. No demon would be able to grant any wish, and no one would come to his rescue.

The boy thought he could handle it, but he simply could not. He was in pain everyday, and every night. He had struggled for weeks to figure out a wish, but failed to do so. How could a stupid demon help him if he could not think of a wish? He knew that he was losing his will to live, and he didn't care about himself any longer. Which was perhaps the reason why the boy could not think of a reason to enter a contract with the demon.

However, he must have cared if he was thinking about this so tirelessly, right?

So exhausted, so _very_ exhausted.

The boy was living a lie and always would, there was no changing that fact. However, he simply could not stay there any longer.

He knew it had to be done.

He knew that he had to save himself.

The boy lifted himself from the bed, and took the red, silk kimono off of the floor. He wrapped it around his slender body and tied the ribbon to keep the garment in place. He gently ran his fingers through his knotted, blonde hair before making his way to the bedroom door. He tried to open it as slowly, as quietly as possible, however, the creaking was enough to wake the man.

"A...Alois...?" The man opened his tired eyes, his gaze setting upon the shaking boy. He looked upon him in the same way he always would.

Just his gaze was enough to make the boy known as Alois feel sick to his stomach.

The boy didn't respond. Instead, he turned and forced his legs to move as he bolted down the hallway. He could hear the old man's shouts for the servants, and he knew that they would be after him within a matter of seconds. He ran as fast as he could down the hallway, which seemed to grow longer and longer as he ran. Making it to the stairs, the blonde boy forced himself to run down them. Fear threatened to paralyze him, but his adrenaline kept him going. The boy ran across the marble floor to the heavy door, and he pulled it open.

He ran out into the stormy night. The rain pelted down on him as he ran towards the forest, towards _freedom_. The blonde turned around once, and was greeted by the sight of many servants of Earl Trancy, who were all running after him. Tears streamed down Alois' face as he continued to run, he had never been so frightened in his whole life.

It was then that he vowed that he would _never_ let himself be taken back to that terrible place, no matter what it took.

The blonde made it to the forest, and then continued to dart blindly through it. He had no idea where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get away from the servants. Alois would be reduced to nothing if he had to go back to the manor, forever serving Earl Trancy.

The boy did not know how long he ran for until he began to feel very exhausted. He found it hard to believe that he could feel more exhausted than he already had been that night, but it was true. His breath was visible in the dark forest as he gasped for breath. Alois, who had been running blindly through the thicket, ended up falling off a small ledge. He hit the ground with a thud, and pain shot up his leg. His ankle felt twisted as he lay breathless, his face pressed into the moist forest floor.

"Look what I found. Says Oscar." A disembodied voice came from in front of the exhausted boy. Alois snapped his head up to see a dark figure looming over him, and the masculine voice spoke again, "It's a child. Says Emily."

The blonde boy let out a gasp as something slimy in texture slid across his hand. He looked down to see a snake and immediately scrambled backwards, away from the vile creature. "Who are you?" The boy narrowed his eyes.

"It can speak. Says Wordsworth."

"Stop playing around and identify yourself!" Alois was beginning to lose his patience for the figure in front of him.

"I can hear the men coming. Says Oscar."

The boy sighed, he had completely forgotten about them. He knew that he didn't have time to sit around and talk to this freak.

"We can help you. They say."

"There is _no_ way that I am going to trust some freak and his snakes." He scoffed and turned his head to the side.

"Would you rather go back to the place you are running away from? Says Emily." The figure cocked his head to the side.

Alois hung his head, sighing in defeat. He knew he had no other choice, it was either this freak or Earl Trancy. "C-Can you help me up...?"

Within seconds the boy felt arms around him, lifting him up slowly off the ground. "Can you stand on your own?"

He shook his head. "My ankle is hurt..." The boy trailed off as he leaned his head against the shoulder of the silhouette beside him as his head spun.

The boy fainted from exhaustion not long afterwards.

The blonde boy opened his eyes to stare at the canvas roof above him.

"Our patient is awake." A masculine voice came from beside the boy.

"So what's the report, Doc? They gonna be okay?" Another voice.

"Just a sprained ankle. Passed out from running so long." The response.

Alois sat up in bed, holding his hand to his forehead. "W-Where am I...?" He asked while looking around. He noticed that the men who had been speaking weren't the only people in the room. There were seven other very...unique looking people, along with the two.

_Great...more freaks._ The blonde thought to himself.

"Yer in Doc's tent at the _Noah's Ark Circus_. Snake 'ere found ya in the woods." The man gestured to a scaly-skinned boy with a snake around his neck. It was then that Alois noticed the man speaking had a skeletal limb, which he could only assume was a prosthetic.

The boy then looked down to see that he was only covered by a thin blanket. "W-Where did my kimono go...?" He asked in a small voice. Alois was not particularly enjoying the feeling of being so exposed in front of complete strangers, especially strangers who seemed to be complete _lunatics_.

He looked around the room at each individual, and wondered for a moment if it hadn't been better just to stay at the manor. In the room stood a clown-looking fellow with knives in his hands, a tart, two children, and a giant. Of course, not to mention the snake-skinned young man who had saved the boy, as well as a figure in white who was hard to see, due to the giant in front of her.

The skeletal-limbed man tore Alois from his thoughts as he answered the previously asked question. "It was torn, soaked, and covered in mud. We figured ye'd have no use for it, so we decided to throw it out. A _lady_ shan't be walkin' around in a destroyed garment."

"_Excuse me_?" The boy narrowed his eyes. "I am _male_."

Surprised looks crossed the face of almost every single freak in the room. Alois could feel his blood start to boil as he saw their expressions. It was true that the boy was rather..._effeminate_, however, he still found it offensive.

"Then what were ye doin' in one of them fancy robes?" The clown with the knives raised his eyebrows.

The blonde dropped his gaze as he brought the blanket closer around his slightly shivering frame. Shame overtook him once again, just as it used to back at the manor. He hung his head as he continued to debate wether or not he had made the right decision in running away.

"He obviously don't wanna tell you, so lay off." The tart shot back at the clown.

"Aw c'mon, Sis...I was just curious." He laughed and nudged her arm.

"Why did he run away, anyway?" The female child asked.

"I ain't sure why..."

Alois could feel gazes upon him. He mustered up the courage to respond with, "I ran away because I was being hurt, that's all."

"_Hurt_?" The clown's eyes widened in shock. "In what way?"

The blonde kept his head down, sighing as he tried to think a way of avoiding the answer.

"Leave 'im alone!" The tart glared at the clown before hitting him across the head with her fist. "Do ya not see the obvious signs of mistreatment? You men are all the same...so _oblivious_." She scoffed and walked out of the tent.

After a few moments of a terribly awkward silence, Alois decided to end it. "I-I can leave..." He spoke quietly, "I can see that I am just causing trouble..."

_After all, that's all I'm good for..._ He thought.

"Not at all!" The skeletal-limbed man responded in a cheery voice. "The young lady who just walked out is called _Beast_. She don't like people pokin' into other people's business, as ye can see. She's the animal tamer of our circus - so don't get on 'er bad side or she'll have 'er tiger, _Betty_, on ye within seconds."

The blonde forced himself to lift his head to show the man that he was listening.

"My name is _Joker_, I'm the leader of this fine circus." He smiled kindly down at Alois as he spoke. Then, he gestured to the two children. "These two are called _Wendy_ and _Peter_, and they're the masters of the flying trapeze."

The two waved to the boy as he nodded in their direction whilst trying to force a smile.

"And the fool who loves to annoy Sis is known as _Dagger_." The man gestured to the clown and chuckled. "If ye haven't already guessed, he's our talented knife thrower."

"Nice to meet ya." Dagger approached and held out his hand.

"Likewise." The boy responded and took it.

After the two shook hands, Joker continued his introduction. He introduced the man sitting in the wheelchair beside the blonde as _Doc_, as well as the giant - a fire eater called _Jumbo_. It was after that that he was formally introduced to the young man who saved him, _Snake_, who was evidently the circus' snake charmer.

Every one of the circus members were unique and interesting in their own way, however, there was still one who really intrigued Alois. She made her way to the front of the group and stood beside Joker. The man smiled down at her and placed his skeletal hand on her shoulder. "N' this here is our lil' Sis, the princess of the circus, _Doll_. She is our very talented tightrope walker."

The girl, who seemed quite sullen, gave a small smile and a nod. Alois got a better look at her now that she was out in the open; he noticed that her left eye was covered by her headpiece, which seemed to be crafted out of white artificial roses.

After more silence, the boy decided to return the favour by introducing himself as _Alois Trancy_. At the mention of his name, shock looks came from many in the room. The boy grew increasingly worried, because his name had seemingly struck a chord with the others. However, the looks of shock were quickly replaced by friendly smiles and nods.

Joker, who had a big smile on his face, spoke up, "Well Alois, we'd like to welcome you to _Noah's Ark Circus_ as our newest member."

Alois was quiet for a moment before asking, "What's the catch..." He looked around the tent, slowly becoming suspicious. He could not understand why they would take in a complete stranger - as well as a Trancy - such as himself.

"Yer only task is to spend some time with us first-stringers individually. That way ye can decide what act yer best at." Joker responded, shrugging. "No catch whatsoever. Yer bein' let off easy, so be grateful. Usually ye'd have to go through an examination."

"No...I mean why would you just let me in your troupe? What is so special about me? I can't do anything except-" Alois cut himself off mid-sentence and lowered his gaze. He had come frighteningly close to saying something he would have instantly regretted.

"I can show ye to yer tent, 'Lois." Dagger smiled in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

Alois sighed after a moment. "A-Alright..." He said

The boy kept the blanket tightly wrapped around his body as Dagger helped him off of the table.

"Doll stocked yer wardrobe full already. She had some old clothes that we thought ye could fit in." Joker nodded towards the boy wrapped in the blanket.

The blonde nodded and said a small 'thanks' to the girl. She gave a small nod in response, though still remaining silent.

Dagger happily helped Alois out of the tent. The boy hated feeling so useless, so he stumbled a bit as he attempted to move away from the man after they made it out. "Don't worry. I gotcha." He smiled and pulled Alois close again. "Keep yer bad ankle up. You ought to give it some rest if ye want it to heal up fast." The blonde nodded and reluctantly leaned against the man, keeping his ankle up.

The trip to the tent was a quiet one, as Alois was deeply lost in his conflicting thoughts:

_Maybe it won't be so bad here...maybe this was the right decision...but maybe it wasn't...I should have just wished for the old pervert to die...but that really isn't something I would want to give up my soul over...I wonder if I'll ever be found by the servants...what will the boys think of my disappearance...will I even fit in with these freaks...?_

"Home sweet home!" The cheerful man announced as he helped Alois sit down on the bed. The boy - who had been deeply lost in thought - looked around the tent for the first time. He was very surprised to find that it was actually...nice.

It was then that he vaguely remembered passing into the first-stringers' area.

"A-Am I in a first-string member tent...?" He looked up at Dagger. "Why am I-"

"Because yer a first-string member, silly." The knife thrower shook his head whilst chuckling, as if he expected the blonde to know. When he saw that Alois wasn't laughing along with him, he gave a small smile. "Don't ye worry yer pretty lil' head. All yer questions will be answered in time, but right now ye need to get some rest and heal up that ankle. If ya need anythin' at all, Doll's tent is t' the right of yers, n' mine is next to 'ers. Yer clothes are in the wardrobe there." He pointed to a small trunk. "Have yerself a good night, 'Lois."

With that being said, Dagger left the tent.

After looking around for a few more moments, Alois slid himself from the bed and opened the trunk. In all honesty, the boy was expecting something more..._elegant_ from Doll.

_Something white and full of roses, perhaps?_ Alois thought as he looked in the trunk.

There were various articles of clothing in dark colors inside of the "wardrobe". Browns, blacks, and greys filled the trunk, and it took Alois a while to figure out which piece of clothing was which.

After finally dressing, Alois climbed back onto the bed. While doing so, he made sure to keep his bad ankle up like Dagger had instructed him to. The blonde sat on the bed and looked around the tent once more.

He actually felt at _peace_ for the first time in a long time.

Alois thought that it felt nice to be in clothing once more, he didn't feel so vulnerable any longer. The dark grey turtleneck covered the marks on his neck, and the trousers were long and covered his bruised legs.

He felt hidden and safe as he curled himself up in the blankets.

Alois decided - before dozing off - that he felt good about being accepted into the circus...

Even if they were all complete _freaks_.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**Thank you all for reading the first chapter of my first Kuroshitsuji fanfiction, A Night To Remember.**

**Creds to the wonderful _thedogsspider_ for the name!**

**I wrote the first chapter in third-person limited, however this was only to set the stage (irony?). The following chapters will be written in third-person omniscient.**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!**

**~Aszii**


	2. Chapter Two: A Unique Bond

_Forget about yourself even for just one day and smile._

The troupe gave the boy a few days off to recover from his sprained ankle. However afterwards, he was put straight to work. He would spend one day with each first-string member, and then would be expected to choose which act he thinks he would be best at. The order of the meetings was spontaneous, but nothing less was expected from the _Noah's Ark Circus_ first-stringers.

A figure entered Alois' tent at the crack of dawn of the first 'examination' day. They walked over to the sleeping boy and stood in silence for several moments, almost as if hesitating. They felt bad about having to wake the peaceful looking boy, but not enough not to go through with it.

"Rise n' shine!"

The tired blonde opened his eyes, just to see the clown known as _Dagger_ standing above him. His green eyes shone in the morning light as he gazed down at Alois. The young man was slim, and he wore a rather unique outfit. It consisted of a long-sleeved, black and white striped shirt with a jabot, that was worn under a beige vest. He wore black pants with a black skirt over top, and beige button-up boots with black tips. The hat he wore over his messy blonde hair was red with black detailing. The boy could only assume that the knife thrower's hair had been dyed, as he had a tuft of dark hair in front that was swiped to the right.

The young man had a bright smile plastered to his face; he looked as if he had been awake for hours. "Yer with me today, so let's get some grub and then get to work."

Alois did not enjoy the cheeriness of the man, and found it quite bothersome. The blonde was not used to such early mornings, as being Earl Trancy's 'favourite' had it's perks. So evidently, he was pretty grumpy about having being woken up. Not to mention he was woken up by such a _happy_ person. He sighed and forced himself off the bed, rubbing his eyes as they focused on the cheery knife thrower.

"Alrighty, let's go!" Dagger smiled down at the tired boy before leading him out of the tent. "Ye'll be right as rain by the time we're finished eatin'."

Alois nodded before yawning, his eyes tearing up in the process.

The first-stringers always got their food before any other of the circus workers. That meant they got it fresh and hot, and a lot of it. Alois was relieved that he didn't have to fight over food like others - such as the second-stringers - had to. Whilst exploring the circus grounds for a few days, the boy had been a witness to the fight for food that the second-stringers went through daily. They would yell and fight, holding their plates out and pushing others out of the way. It was just not something that the boy would find entertaining to have to deal with every day.

Dagger and Alois sat away from the other first-stringers at their own table, making small talk as they ate. Dagger was well aware that Alois was keeping something to himself, and for good reason. He had seen the marks on his body, and how the boy had covered them up with his carefully chosen attire. The young man did in fact feel bad for the boy, for he knew that whatever happened to him wasn't deserved.

_All of them were damaged in some way._

After breakfast, Dagger led Alois to his private practicing area.

"Are ye ready to try yer hand at knife throwing?" The young man asked as he held out several knives towards the boy.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Alois shrugged and took two of the knives from him.

"It takes a bit o' good aim n' lotsa practice." Dagger threw the knife and hit his target dead on. "I've been at it fer years, so don't feel intimidated." He winked at the shorter boy.

"How did you learn?"

The question had certainly surprised Dagger, for he wasn't used to anyone really being interested in his personal details. With a small smile, he began to explain himself to the boy. "Well, before I met the others, I had t' fend fer meself. I was on my own fer a long time, n' learned a few good things that kept me alive. Havin' only one leg meant I couldn't really run away from those who wanted to hurt me, or take me belongins." He gestured towards his right leg as he explained himself. Alois could then only assume it had to be a prosthetic, like Joker's arm. "I learned to throw knives from a distance as a means of survival."

The blonde was very intrigued by the knife thrower's story. "You said you were on your own?" He reiterated.

Dagger nodded. "Mum died givin' birth, n' father didn't want to take care of me. Put me on the street n' told me to get lost. Lived in the East End fer awhile before findin' the others." He sighed, remembering the dark times. However, he quickly replaced his dismal expression with a smile. Smiling was how the young man coped with his sadness that had been buried deep. He also never wanted to burden others with his problems, so instead of bringing others down, he brought himself up. "I'm glad things turned out that way, though. I'd never have met 'em if it hadn't happened, n' I wouldn't have ever been able to do what I love." The man looked up at the target board while finishing with, "N' that is bringin' a smile t'other faces."

Alois remained silent as he took everything in, the knife thrower's story had really struck a chord with him. The blonde remembered the feeling of loneliness, as well as having to survive by harming others. He remembered those feelings _all_ too well.

"'Lois, you okay?" The taller of the two asked as the other remained silent.

The boy turned to Dagger and nodded. "I was alone for a long time, too. My village was burnt to the ground, and my younger brother died along with the other villagers. My parents had died long before, so once Luka died I had no one..." He wrapped his arms around himself, feeling oddly relieved for finally telling another soul about the events of his true past. "When Luka was alive, we would steal from other villagers in order to survive. Sometimes we would have to resort to violence in order to obtain what we needed."

Alois was never one for sob stories, and he never opened up so freely to anyone before. He felt that it was a waste of precious breath and time to talk about his dreary past. The blonde boy known as Alois Trancy had built up so many walls in order to keep people from harming him. He even went as far as to go by the name, Alois Trancy, instead of his true name.

Jim Macken was dead, plain and simple. Jim was one to let others in, and to let them hurt him terribly. It was always Jim underneath Earl Trancy, even if the disgusting man had said otherwise. Jim was a weak and foolish little boy.

Alois Trancy, the son of a powerful Earl, was the complete opposite. He was cocky and proud; promiscuous and always knew how to get what he wanted. The son of the Queen's Spider, and no one was the wiser to his true identity.

He had built a persona that no one could see the truth behind. He lived behind a façade, and was successful with it. Absolutely no one knew that he was really a peasant boy named Jim Macken.

Yet here he was, telling nothing more than a circus freak a part of his past that had been tucked away for so long.

He did not want to confess to it, but it felt nice to get it off his chest. Maybe keeping it tucked away hadn't been such a good idea, after all.

The first-stringer's smile faded ever so slightly as he rested a hand on Alois' shoulder. "Ye have us now..." He spoke in a soft and comforting voice. "The past's the past, it can't be changed. However, ye can change yer future. Ye already did by runnin' away and joinin' us."

The blonde nodded in agreement as he responded with, "You're right...thank you, Dagger."

"So put a smile on yer face and get to throwin' knives!" Dagger beamed as he pointed to the two knives in Alois' hand.

The boy couldn't help but chuckle a little at the young man's words. "How are you always so happy?" He looked from the knives in his hands to the taller man.

"Because it sure as 'ell beats bein' down in the dumps!" The knife thrower patted Alois' back. "Jus' ferget about all yer problems, even if it's just fer today. Put a smile on yer face and..." He leaned down to the boy's ear, and spoke with false authority as he said, "get to throwin' them knives, ye bloody slacker!"

It was with that, that Alois had decided that he liked the clown-looking fellow known as _Dagger_ - who just so happened to be _Noah's Ark Circus'_ talented first-string knife thrower.

* * *

Knife throwing was _not_ for Alois.

That was what the blonde had gathered during that..._ordeal_.

He was laying on his bed, while examining his arm. It was sore from his vigorous attempts at knife throwing. He had hit the target on numerous occasions, but never where he was really expected to. After making a complete fool out of himself, he had come to the conclusion that he wouldn't be the second first-string knife thrower.

However, he was very grateful for Dagger. The knife thrower had never gave up on him no matter how terrible his aim. He had continuously gave the blonde tips and tricks on knife throwing; not to mention how he would cheer the blonde on every time he would throw a knife. He had also taught the boy that it was good to forget about his problems - even if for just one day - and smile.

Alois had not smiled genuinely in a long time, but Dagger had him laughing and smiling all day. Even though he could not throw a knife to save his life, he decided that he had a good day.

It was then that the blonde realized that he was slowly becoming one of the freaks, himself...

_and he was okay with that._

* * *

_Everyone is afraid of something, no matter their outward appearance._

Alois ate breakfast with Dagger once again the next day. After they finished eating, the knife thrower led Alois to another private practice area. Upon seeing the setup of said practice area, he instantly regretted doing so.

Today's activity would be...

_fire eating._

"Jumbo! I brought our newest first-stringer!" Dagger called in a cheerful voice.

The large man emerged from behind a tent and walked over to meet the two. He was bald, with red tattoos of fire on the back of his head and many ear piercings. He was shirtless, - save the large gold medallion strapped to his chest - and wore dark yellow pants with bandages wrapped around the waistband and shins. His footwear consisted of short black boots with laces, and he also seemed to have a slight hunch. Alois thought that the fire eater seemed _very_ intimidating, and unknowingly took a step closer to Dagger upon seeing him.

Jumbo remained still for a moment, holding a soft expression as he gazed down at them, before ruffling up Dagger's hair.

"'Ey, what have I told ye about messin' with me hair?!" The knife thrower yelled with false anger.

"I guess I just don't feel threatened by a little twerp like you." Jumbo shrugged and ruffled the other's hair again.

Dagger laughed at this, clearly unable to keep up with his act. "Okay, okay ye win!"

A smile broke through the fire eater's - usually stern - face as he gazed at the knife thrower.

Alois was intrigued by the two and how they interacted together. It was different from how any of the other first-stringers acted towards each other, however, it was a good kind of different. It was as if they were brothers, or at least brotherly figures to each other. The blonde had secretly longed for a relationship like that once more. He missed his brother, Luka, terribly, and nothing had been the same since he passed away.

It was true that Dagger and Jumbo had a special relationship, and it had been that way ever since they were at the Renbon Workhouse. The fire eater had always been there for the other, and fueled his motivation to keep a smile on his face.

The knife thrower had always felt left out, even when he was on his own. Whenever he would see kids his age, he would feel a great sense of jealousy; for those children were not crippled, and they had not been abandoned for no good reason. They had no idea about the struggles he had gone through, and they would never have to experience it.

However, he absolutely _loathed_ the feeling of jealousy. It turned the otherwise cheerful boy into a monster who hated anyone that did not feel the pain he did.

When he found the others, he was still very bitter and kept to himself. There was only one person he cared about, and that was a lovely girl who was missing her left leg. He had felt as though they could connect because they were both missing a leg; he had felt as though he had finally found someone who could understand how he felt. He instantly became enthralled with her, however, she didn't return the affection. She would brush him off for the other boy - known to them as _Joker_ - who had been missing his right arm.

The boy became that jealous monster once again. He only stayed with the others because they didn't judge him, and they were kind to him most of the time. They were all damaged in some way, so he stayed with them - the only people he could relate to.

Dagger's whole outlook on life changed when Jumbo demonstrated an extreme amount of kindness to him one day. The fire eater had seen how miserable the knife thrower was as he watched the others play, and he knew how it felt to be left out just because of physical differences. He knew that it was not a good feeling, so he decided to finally do something about it - with the help of Joker, of course.

On that day, Jumbo had offered to carry Dagger on his back, and the knife thrower had taken the offer after some hesitation. He could then be with the others, and he didn't have to feel left out any longer.

_It was with that act of kindness that their unique bond had formed._

Dagger was close to all of the first-stringers, given his outgoing nature. However, he always had a stronger pull towards Jumbo when it came right down to it. No one had ever shown him that much kindness beforehand, so it was no surprise that he felt that way.

"Now don't go burnin' off the poor boy's head, ya hear?" The knife thrower teased, before turning back to Alois. "And don't ye go burnin' yerself." He warned before leaving the two.

"We haven't been properly introduced." The large man looked down at the significantly smaller boy, smiling slightly. "I'm Jumbo, the first-string fire eater."

"Nice to meet you..." The blonde looked up at the man, feeling uneasy in his presence. "I-I'm Alois."

"I can tell that fire eating seems kind of intimidating to you, huh? Don't worry, I have something else in mind for you to try out." He spoke with a considerable amount of kindness, trying to not frighten the seemingly fragile boy.

However, that was not the case at all, and the fire eater's last words made Alois feel even more uneasy in his presence. He knew that Jumbo did not mean what his mind told him he meant, but the boy just could not shake the uneasiness he felt.

Men scared the blonde terribly, especially older men or those considerably bigger; those he felt that could easily overpower him, especially. While Dagger and Joker were young men as well, they seemed to be more like boys, in his opinion. They were immature and sociable, but also very friendly and seemingly harmless. However, Jumbo - despite the obvious height difference - seemed more mature and held in high regard, especially by the other first-stringers. He didn't speak much, and almost always held a stone cold expression. The fire eater would stare down at everyone, and that - along with everything else - was what made him intimidating.

As ridiculous as it sounded, Alois' fear was _real_, and it could even _paralyze_ him in some instances.

"Are you alright?" The man broke the blonde boy from his thoughts. "You really don't have to try anything out if you're worried about hurting yourself."

Alois shook his head and sighed, for he knew that Jumbo deserved honesty. He didn't know how intimidating he was to the boy, and it wasn't his fault.

"I..." He sighed. "Where I ran away from..." The blonde just could not seem to form the words to explain himself.

"Are you...afraid of _me_?" The fire eater's question hit the boy at full force.

The boy hesitated before speaking slowly, "T-The thing is...I am terrified of men...I was being hurt by a disgusting old man, and I just...have a hard time...trusting..." He sighed as he confessed.

Jumbo nodded in understanding. "I used to be like that, too." He said.

Alois was shocked as he looked back up at him. _How could a man as big as Jumbo be afraid of anything?_

"My father was a cruel man. He was abusive to my mother and my two younger sisters. I would intervene most of the time, and I would end up taking the beatings for them. Through that, I became afraid of anyone - especially male figures - who held some sort of authority. I trained tirelessly to be strong and able to fight back. However, I also did not want to become like my father. I strived to be kind and generous to others; treating them how I wanted to be treated. I care so very much for my brothers and sisters, and I will protect them at all costs..._including you._" The fire eater looked down at the boy.

"_Me...?_" Guilt rose deep within the blonde. He could not fathom that he had believed that this man could be some kind of threat to him.

Jumbo nodded and said, "I want to prove to you that I am trustworthy. You are away from that place, and safe with us."

Tears blurred Alois' vision, and he kept his head down as his shoulders shook. He hated showing weakness, especially in front of someone like Jumbo. However, he was very moved by the man's words, and very remorseful for viewing the man in such a negative light.

Then, Alois felt strong arms wrap slowly around him. The shaking boy looked up to see the fire eater with the same soft expression as before.

No one had embraced him like that in a long time.

_Not since Luka..._

As quickly as it happened, it ended.

Jumbo pulled away from Alois, and the blonde mustered the courage to look up at the man, saying, "T-Thank you..."

The fire eater nodded. "Now let me show you some alternatives to my act."

* * *

Alois had really enjoyed his training that day. Instead of fire eating, Jumbo had shown him how to 'juggle' fire and use a fire baton for tricks.

At first, the boy hadn't been all too thrilled about playing with fire, - and in the literal sense - however, he really had enjoyed himself.

Jumbo had given Alois some unlit batons to practice his juggling, and that is how the boy spent his night.

While doing so, the boy's mind wandered back to that special bond that the two first-stringers - known as Dagger and Jumbo - shared. He hoped that he could find someone to bond with in that way once again.

Despite the fact, Alois focused more on juggling. He had never really taken up a hobby before, and found it to be quite fun.

Well, at least when he didn't _completely fail_ to juggle.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**Well, that was the second chapter. The chapters will go on like this for several chapters (with about two troupe members each = to two days). However, afterwards the story will really pick up.**

**I also would like to say that the first-stringers' pasts were completely made up - headcanons, if you will. Book of Circus may explain more of their individual pasts, but this has been written before any knowledge of it.**

**Again, I hope you enjoyed. The third chapter should be out soon.**

**Thank you for reading, and thank you for all the lovely reviews, favorites, and follows!**

**~Aszii**


	3. Chapter Three: Un(Trustworthy)

**There is a Trigger Warning for this chapter...just to be safe.**

* * *

_It was always the two of us._

Dagger had taken it upon himself to be Alois' "breakfast buddy" and "tour guide". He had woken the boy up once again the next morning, and brought him to the first-stringers' eating area. They conversed for a bit whilst eating their breakfast, which consisted of things such as eggs, pork, and bread. After the two finished eating, the knife thrower brought Alois to an indoor practice area that had obviously been set up for the flying trapeze. The two first-stringers had already been practicing for the day, and were performing overhead, gracefully as ever.

"Peter! Wendy! I brought our newcomer!" Dagger called up to the two, his voice echoing in the large room.

The two children landed on different pedestals in unison and climbed down the ladders. They appeared before Dagger and Alois a few moments later, and gave short waves before dropping their hands to their sides in unison.

The boy, presumably Peter, had short, shaggy blonde hair and pale bluish-grey eyes. His hair was swept to the left in the front, and he wore a small green hat on the right side with two black feathers sticking out from it. His outfit consisted of a light green vest over a white shirt, with puffy mid-sleeves and a ruffled collar. He wore dark green, puffy shorts with yellow stars on them and tights. He also had three green diamonds painted underneath his right eye.

The girl, Wendy, had brown hair that was up in two buns on the left side of her head. She wore a short, pink and black striped dress with pale pink ruffles that lined the collar and bottom of it. She wore black tights to cover her legs, and for footwear - black shoes with a ball on each toe. Her accessories consisted of a black ribbon tied around her neck, some more black ribbon around her forearms, and a small black crown on top of her head that was lined in gold. For makeup, the girl had three pink diamonds painted underneath her left eye, as well as false eyelashes.

After a quick exchange of words between the three, Dagger turned to Alois and gave him a soft pat on the back before leaving.

"Hello." Alois smiled a bit as he looked down at the two.

When the children did not respond, the blonde began to feel a bit uneasy. They just stared ahead at him without speaking or moving, and this went on for what seemed like several minutes. Slowly, Peter leaned over and cupped his hands around his mouth as he whispered something to his companion. Alois rubbed the back of his neck as the two children whispered to each other, glancing at him every few seconds. He allowed them to finish, but felt as though it was very ignorant and disrespectful. However, he did not expect much from young, immature children.

After some more whispering, Wendy stepped away and smiled. "Welcome." Her voice sounded oddly mature for her age as she continued, "Today we'll be teaching ya how t' perform on the flying trapeze."

Peter nudged Wendy. "Ye act too professional! 'Specially wit' someone like 'im!" He spoke in a loud whisper, that was obviously meant for the taller blonde to hear.

Alois narrowed his eyes, a wave of irritation settling inside of him. In a bitter tone, he asked - or spat, "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Yer an outsider, we don't need t' give ya any special treatment." The shorter blonde responded in an equally bitter tone, with a voice that seemed all to mature for his age, as well. "The others may treat ye like some kinda royalty because o' your surname. But me? Eh, I couldn't care less..."

"_Excuse me?_" Alois was in complete shock. Was something as silly as a surname enough to separate the boy from other people? Apparently so; at least according to Peter, that is.

"I ain't gonna bow down to ye just 'cos yer one of 'em _fancy schmancy Trancys._ All ye are is an outsider who's playin' the victim." Peter scoffed. "I wouldn't be surprised if ye bruised yerself."

The blonde was completely taken aback, his mind becoming paralyzed as such accusations were made against him. He would never, _ever,_ play the victim. Being a victim was not something that he enjoyed, for he felt weak and useless now that he had been classified as such. Oh no, the boy would _not_ back down to some childish, self-absorbed brat. When he finally shook himself from the paralysis, he shouted, "And all you are is a little immature brat! You know absolutely nothing about me to make such accusations!"

"Please stop-"

Wendy was cut off by Peter, who angrily spat, "I can guarantee that yer the brat, 'ere! I'm way older than ye!"

Alois laughed aloud. "Oh, _you_ are way older than _me?!_ What a funny joke! You are merely a _child!_"

The brunette sighed. "He's tellin' the truth..."

The taller blonde ceased to laugh, looking at Wendy. "What...?"

"We're actually older than most of the troupe, despite how we look. Our growth was stunted due to a decision we made when younger - we messed around with witchcraft in hopes of getting what we desired most." The girl - or young woman - sighed before continuing, "We performed before joinin' our brothers n' sisters, n' we wanted to be the best trapeze artists. Without gettin' deep into the story, we got what we wished for, though we were stuck wit' these appearances ferever. It was a stupid n' selfish thing to do..."

"Why would ye just go n' tell 'im?!" Peter was furious at his companion. "Outsiders just don't understand us! They _can't!_ Ye know that well, Wendy!"

"I-I just..." The girl sighed.

"I understand more than you think..." Alois broke in. "You may think I'm just a brat playing victim, but that is _not_ the case at all."

"_Oh yeah?_ And just how do _you_ understand?" The bratty boy - or young man - asked suspiciously.

"I had to change myself as well, but it was not of my own will. I used to be a different person a while back, _completely_ different. I had to change myself to survive..." He sighed, "I had been picked up off the street, and taken to the manor of a disgusting, perverted old man. He hated me because of my 'disgusting eyes', for he believed that I would be trouble to break." The blonde found it surprisingly easy to explain himself, especially to such an ignorant person and his companion.

_Then he was back at the Trancy manor, staring at his marked body in the tall mirror. Jim, that was the boy's name, and it was such a _rotten_, _tainted_ name. Tainted by the death of his parents, by the villagers, and now by the old man. Jim was a weak, childish boy who had easily been brought into submission by mister Trancy._

_However, he could not take the pain anymore. _

_The suffering was too much for the young boy to bear. _

_He knew what he had to do to survive, but he dreaded it._

_The boy slid the red kimono onto his frail frame and tied it around his waist. It was too big and fell off of his shoulder on one side, revealing part of his chest. He was disgusted at his own reflection as he applied makeup, and then forced the brush through his knotted hair._

_He knew as soon as he entered the room where he would seduce the pervert, he would change forever._

_He had already changed._

"It was after that, that I became Alois Trancy." The blonde boy sighed. "I ran away from the manor because I was completely losing myself."

Wendy seemed sympathetic, while Peter seemed almost completely unmoved.

"So, I apologize for making accusations about such a sensitive topic, and I apologize if I offended you in any way." Alois bowed his head to show his _absolute_ remorse. He hated backing down so easily, but he was on their turf. He respected that it was their territory, and whilst in that territory, he would treat them in a respectful manner. The Trancy boy also had more _class_ than the brat before him, and _refused_ to stoop as low as he was.

"I respect ye fer gettin' yerself outta that place. Ye saved yerself before it was too late..." Peter spoke but refused to make eye contact with the taller blonde. "Ye did what's best for ye by joinin' us."

Both Alois and Wendy were shocked by Peter's statement, and neither of them could find the words for a response.

After more silence, the taller blonde nodded and said a small "thank you" to the other.

Peter shrugged, brushing it off. "Don't mention it. Now let's get t' work."

* * *

Alois was in Doc's tent that night, because he had fallen whilst practicing on the flying trapeze. Peter hadn't caught him when he was supposed to, and the slip up had resulted in Alois crashing to the ground. The blonde had a feeling that Peter's little "statement" had been nothing more than empty words. In fact, he _knew_ that the little fiend had been lying, and he knew that the fall wasn't an accident. He saw the signs beforehand: when Wendy was explaining the trapeze to Alois, Peter had seemingly been growing angrier; when Wendy had helped Alois onto the trapeze, the shorter blonde was visibly shaking with a sour look plastered to his face.

This was true, for Peter did not want anyone but him and Wendy to be first-string trapeze artists. It was their thing, and it was what they gave up their normal lives for. No one could ever understand them, absolutely no one.

Alois was not like them, no matter the sob story he told.

The male trapeze artist was currently being lectured by Joker, who was _not_ impressed at all. After leaving Alois, he had made his way straight to Peter with a stern look on his face.

"This ain't like ye, Peter. Ye never drop Wendy. Yer performances have always been flawless." The ring-leader sighed.

"Wot? Are ye tryin' t' say that I did this on purpose?" The blonde was furious.

"All I'm sayin' is that Blondie is in Doc's tent, currently tryin' to hide 'is pain, while yer on defensive mode." Joker raised an eyebrow, he was growing suspicious.

"T'was an accident, brother Joker." Wendy chimed in. "Alois was too slow n' the timing was off. Peter tried to catch 'im, he really did...but it was too late."

The young man's face softened, he always trusted Wendy's words and knew she wouldn't lie to him. With a nod and a small smile, he said, "Go get yerselves ready, we've got a show soon."

After Joker left, Wendy turned to Peter. "It better 'ave been the truth, what I told Joker." She spoke as she looked into his eyes.

"T'was." He shrugged and began to walk away, towards their tent. When Peter didn't hear the brunette's footsteps, he turned to her and said, "C'mon, lets get ready fer the show."

Wendy hesitated before following her companion.

* * *

_We are linked together in the worst way._

Alois had been given several more days off for recovery.

He had suffered from a back sprain due to the fall, but luckily landed in a way where it wasn't too serious. The blonde was allowed back in his own tent to rest up, but of course, with few checks from Doc. He appreciated that the man took the time to check up on him in his personal tent, because Doc usually never left the medical tent.

For some reason Alois was cared for greatly in Noah's Ark Circus, and he just could not understand why. He wasn't used to so much care and constant check-ups (these check-ups including members of the troupe, such as Dagger and Joker). The boy was not irritated by this however, he was just extremely confused.

For the first few days of his recovery, Alois had slept. Though as the days progressed, he could not fall asleep any longer and grew extremely bored. His back did not hurt that badly anymore, but as a precaution he stayed still in his bed.

"Pardon for the intrusion. Says Emily."

Alois looked over to see that Snake was standing at the foot of the bed, with one snake around his neck, presumably 'Emily'. The young man had short, white hair with a sliver tint to it. His eyes were golden and stood out against his pale skin. He was very thin for his height, with some of his bones visible when shirtless, as he was now. Snake's ribs were especially visible, and jagged out from his body. His current attire consisted of black pants, and thigh-high boots that laced up.

"No, no, it is fine." Alois propped himself up on the bed, but could feel a deep pain stir in his back as he did so.

"How is your back? Says Emily." The young man cocked his head to the side.

"It still hurts a bit, but the recovery time off has been a great help. I should be ready to continue my examination soon." The blonde responded.

Snake nodded. "Just don't overdo it..." He spoke softly as he sat at the edge of the bed.

Alois was surprised that he did not hear _'says Emily'_ at the end of the sentence. Snake was actually speaking to him without passing it off as one of his snakes? He found it surprising, but saw this as his opportunity. "I won't." He smiled a bit before saying, "I never really got the chance to thank you for saving me."

"No need to thank me, I just happened to be there at the time. It was Emily here who convinced me to help you." He gestured to the snake around his neck before continuing, "However, I must confess that when I found out that you were connected with the Trancy's, I was elated."

Alois looked at the young man in confusion. "Why is that?"

"I was in the woods that night because I wanted to investigate. I had almost been taken there a while back, but was declined by the Earl due to my appearance. I had sensed discomfort while being there, and I have been investigating the 'why' ever since. The other first-string members do not know that I conduct these investigations, just like I do not know of the 'missions' they frequently go on. However, you will be sure to learn of those 'missions' in time." Snake explained, sounding completely sure of himself.

The blonde didn't respond for awhile, as he was trying to think of a proper response. "I'll tell you..." He finally said in a small voice.

"Tell me?" The young man cocked his head to the side.

"I'll tell you what goes on at the Trancy manor, as repayment for saving my life." Alois explained, "I will tell you beforehand, though..._it isn't good._"

"I figured as much." Snake responded, seemingly intrigued.

"Well...Earl Trancy is a terrible, _terrible_ man..." The blonde sighed. "He keeps many young boys down in the dungeon below his manor..."

"What does he do with those boys?"

A single tear rolled down Alois' face as he began to explain.

_The boy was starving, and extremely cold as he waited down in the depths of the Trancy manor..._

_He listened to the endless chatter that ensued amongst the boys. Rumors of what exactly mister Trancy would do to them would frequently circulate around. Rumors of the boys who never returned, thought to a result of cannibalism by mister Trancy, and others said that the old man was in fact, a demon that ate their souls._

_The boys who had found out first-hand what mister Trancy actually did, never spoke about it; for they were filled with too much guilt to do so. They would sit alone in corners of the dark prison, staring ahead with blank expressions on their faces._

_Whilst down in the depths of the Trancy manor, the boys would experience things that no child should have to - things from mental breakdowns, to deaths. Some of the deaths would be from infection, but others would be a result of the boys who had mental breakdowns. They would kill the others who were around the, by clawing at their necks, or forcefully hitting their heads on the ground. Once the Earl found out about this, those violent boys were subdued with medication or torture._

_Not all the boys were like this, however. It was only a handful who suffered from breakdowns like those, and it was mostly those who had come from a background of previous abuse or mistreatment. The other boys would engage in conversations to get their mind off of the perverted Earl and the rumors that circulated around. They would often talk about "fairies" who would grant wishes, and would admit to what they would wish for._

_Some of the boys wished for death, while others just simply wished for freedom._

_It would be a different boy every time, and the one chosen would never go peacefully - they would usually have to be silenced by a beating or whipping._

_However, there was one boy who went quietly. The others were shocked at this, and in turn believed that he enjoyed what mister Trancy did to him. Despite their accusations, the blonde boy knew that he needed to put his survival before his reputation - or lack thereof._

_The boy would be given time to himself to be presentable for the old man. It wasn't difficult, though, and he would usually spend most of his prepping time gazing at himself in the mirror. During these times, the boy would ask himself many questions as he glared at his repulsive reflection. __When the servants had decided that the blonde was finished, they would force him out of the prepping room and in front of the Earl's room._

_The boy would always take a deep breath before pushing the large door open._

_Trancy would usually be in his chair waiting for the boy. As soon as the young blonde would come into sight he would grab him, push him on the bed, and have his way with him. The boy wouldn't fight, and he wouldn't dare scream. He would lay down and take it, allowing the man to do whatever he wished._

"Sexual assault." He responded quickly and quietly, shaking the memory from himself. "He violated the boys that were brought to his manor, and used them until they passed away from infection or other causes."

"So the mystery of the Trancy manor is out..." Snake mused, looking thoughtful with a hand on his chin. His emotions were seldom shown, but he was, in fact, shocked at what the other had told him.

"I am not actually Earl Trancy's son..." Alois decided to confess to that little detail as well. "I was given that name, and the privilege to be addressed as such, because I was his favorite."

The snake charmer remained quiet for a moment before saying, "Well...I am truly sorry for what you went through, but _I_ am relieved to have been able to escape that."

The blonde nodded, watching as Snake took _'Emily'_ from his neck to gaze at her. "Even though I was lucky enough not to have been living in the Trancy manor, I had still been held in captivity for quite some time." The young man didn't know why he was confessing his past to a mere acquaintance..._maybe because he secretly felt so bad for the younger boy? Maybe because he had been through the exact thing that Snake had escaped from so long ago?_ The snake charmer didn't know the reason, all he knew was that he felt comfortable telling the other about it.

"Captivity?" Alois looked up questioningly at the snake charmer.

The young man nodded. "I don't look like anyone else, as you know. I was regarded as a freak and treated as such, put on display as 'Snakeman'. The men who were supposed to get rid of me after being declined by the Earl, ended up making good money off of me. I was laughed at, mocked, and poked with sticks on many occasions. I was rescued by the others, and was made a first-stringer because of my talent with snakes. They also didn't have a snake charmer, so I was a perfect fit for the troupe. I still don't trust many though, and that is why I don't talk much. I honestly find it easier to let my snakes talk for me; I seem to have more confidence that way." Snake explained.

"That is so terrible...how humiliating that must have been..." Alois chewed on his bottom lip. He knew humiliation all to well, and he knew how terrible it felt. "But how kind of the others to rescue you, and make you one of their own." The boy smiled.

Snake simply nodded.

"And how lucky of you to have joined the circus already knowing what act is best suited for you..." The blonde sighed, looking down.

"Still unsure of what your act should be?" The snake charmer raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Completely."

"Would you like to try snake charming?" Alois could see the corners of Snake's mouth raising in an "almost-smirk" as he held _'Emily'_ out towards the blonde.

"_Yuck!_" Alois recoiled back onto his bed. "No way in _hell!_"

"How rude! Says Emily." The snake charmer stood, coiling the snake back around his neck. "We're leaving. Says Emily." As the young man left the tent, he turned back to say, "You'll find something that truly suits you, I promise you that..."

Snake left the tent without another word.

After listening to the footsteps as the snake charmer walked away, Alois lay back down on his bed and resumed staring at the canvas roof.

"Bloody hell..." He spoke after a few minutes.

Now he had to find _another_ way to amuse himself for the remainder of the day.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**I am so not liking this chapter.**

**I apologize for how horrid it is.**

***Sigh* Okay let's get into this...**

**I know it would have just been easy to say that Peter and Wendy's growth was stunted. However, when the witchcraft idea was introduced to me, I thought it was such a unique idea to go off on. I just really liked it. As for Snake, I thought that it would be interesting to relate him more to Alois. I dunno, I thought there needed to be a reason why he was out in the forest behind the Trancy manor. I also think it would bring more to his character if he was off on his own "missions", since he doesn't accompany the other first-stringers on theirs.**

**It's just so much fun to make up the first-stringers' pasts, since the canon ones aren't clearly defined. I apologize if it ain't your "vision", but I have my own.**

**I also used Wendy's anime appearance because I prefer it - simple as that.**

**I just really hate this chapter okay.**

**I tried, I really did.**

**I like how the plot is proceeding, I just hate my writing. I especially loath my inability to write in character. Ugh... I also don't know why I found it so hard to write for Peter and Wendy.**

**I could go on forever but I won't...**

**I am uploading it and never looking at it again.**

**Next chapter will be better, I promise. Thank you for reading!**

**~Aszii**


	4. Chapter Four: Beauty & The Beast

_A pure, honest-to-goodness maid, she is... Beauty & The Beast (...Or The Other Way Around)_

After breakfast the next day, Dagger took Alois back to the indoor training tent. Immediately the blonde knew that today's training would consist of probably falling to his untimely demise. The first-stringer known as Doll was practicing her graceful act on the tightrope as the two walked in.

"Doll!" The knife thrower called up to the girl. The blonde felt as though it was a bit ignorant to shout so carelessly while the tightrope walker was performing, however it didn't seem to interrupt the girl's practice. Doll made her way back to the landing, and placed her parasol down before beginning to make her way down the ladder.

Once she made it two the two males, Dagger was quick to leave with only a small wave. Alois had noticed that the knife thrower was unusually quiet when it came to Doll, but maybe that was just because of her solemn nature.

"So...uh..." Alois didn't quite know what to say to the girl, for she seemed so quiet and reserved. She was so elegant and -

_*Burrrrp*_

Doll didn't even have enough time to cover her mouth whilst emitting such an unladylike noise from it. However, she didn't seem embarrassed by it at all for she was, in fact, laughing. "I apologize. I had a big breakfast, y'see." The apology was nothing more than meaningless words, for she obviously wasn't serious due to her laughter.

"It's...alright..." Alois was completely shocked by the girl's display. Not once in his life had he seen a girl act so crudely towards a person of the opposite sex, especially one their age.

"So sorry t' have ruined the fantasy ye probably dreamed up about me." The girl showed no modesty as she playfully nudged the blonde's arm. "I'm just playin' wit' ya."

Alois attempted to laugh at the girl's crude joke, however, he was still in complete shock.

The girl brushed it off with a smile. "Name's Doll, as ye already know. I'm the tightrope walker and the youngest of all the first-string performers." She held out a hand, offering it to the boy in front of her.

_That's right, Peter and Wendy only appeared to be children. No wonder she was so immature compared to the others._

However, - judging by her height - she did seem to be a bit older than Alois, so maybe she wouldn't be the youngest once he became a full-fledged member of the troupe.

He took her hand and shook it. "I'm Alois Trancy, and I have a feeling that I will end up falling off the rope." It was no lie, from the first time he had seen the rope he hadn't had a good feeling about it. He also wasn't particularly interested in doing any acts that involved being in the air after his recent injury.

"Oh, don't ye worry about it! I'll tie ye up _nice n' tight_, so ye don't have nothin' to worry about." She nodded in acknowledgement. "Let us get to it, then!"

Alois had no choice but to follow the oddly elegant yet barbaric girl. She surely was a lot different from the other first-stringers.

It was true that she was very different from her brothers and sisters; Doll was the youngest, and therefore constantly strived to show the others that she was capable. The persona that she had adopted for 'Doll' was the polar opposite of her true self, and for good reason. She had been told that her immaturity would earn her no respect from anyone, and that she should act like a lady - especially when performing.

The girl was very damaged, indeed. Anyone could tell if they got the chance to see her left eye, the one which she always kept covered; though not many other than her family knew what she kept so completely hidden underneath. However, her damage went deeper than her outward appearance or any other _physical_ problem. Doll had her reasons for her immodesty and crude behavior, and she also had her reasons for being so untrusting.

However, the tightrope walker felt safe with the blonde boy who was currently trailing behind her. She didn't know why, but she had been very intrigued with him from the time they had first made acquaintance. Maybe it was because she had seen first-hand what, in fact, they were dealing with by caring for the boy, or maybe it was because he was young...like she was.

The two made their way up the ladder, and to the landing on top. Doll tied some rope _"nice n' tight"_ around the blonde boy, just as she had promised. After finishing, she stood and gave a small smile towards the boy. "Yer ready t' go." She announced.

Alois was quite nervous, to say the least. "So...are there any tricks to this?"

Doll handed her white, laced parasol to the shorter boy. "Use this for balance, don't look down, n' make sure ye don't fall." She responded, thinking back to when she was just learning; Joker had said the exact same things to her before pushing her out on the rope.

When her thoughts returned to the present, she noticed that Alois didn't seem to catch on to her joke and just stared at her with a horrified expression.

Doll chuckled softly as she rested her hand on Alois' back. "It was just a joke, 'Lois. I won't let ye fall."

The blonde thought back to when he had fallen off of the trapeze, and how much pain he had been in afterwards. However, something told him that he could trust the girl standing in front of him. Maybe it was in her smile, or the simple fact that she felt like a _"big sister"_ to him.

Whatever it was, it compelled Alois to move onto the tightrope.

His shaky feet moved under him as he held the parasol out. _I probably look ridiculous._ The boy thought to himself as he slowly crossed the rope, with the girly object tightly grasped in his shaking hand. A few times, Alois had almost fallen, but he had regained his balance by staying calm, and it was only when he had looked down - out of innocent curiosity - that he ended up falling.

In one swift movement, Doll pulled on the rope to keep Alois from falling. The boy was surprised that she did not let him fall like Peter had so carelessly - or with very much care, for that matter. _She's pretty strong...for a girl, that is..._ The blonde thought once he actually realized that he wasn't going to fall again, though he still held on tightly to the parasol in his still shaking hand.

"Awh man, and I thought ye were really goin' t' make it." Doll said as she helped Alois back onto the perch. "Ye sure ye never did this before?" She looked at him with an expression that was somewhat a mixture of shock and disappointment.

Alois nodded. "It was probably just luck, or the tips you gave me." He winked at her before setting the parasol down at her feet.

Doll was enjoying the boy's company, more so than any other company she had. He didn't patronize her, or completely disregard her due to the immature or "barbaric" way she acted. In her heart, she knew that she could trust him, and that is why she revealed her true colors to him so easily. Usually, she would be forced to disguise herself as a second-stringer in order to let off steam and be herself for a while. It was a bother, but she didn't mind as long as the others were happy.

_She just wanted to make them proud._

"Are ye ready t' give it another shot?" Doll asked, shaking away her bothersome thoughts.

The blonde shook his head. "I don't think that the tightrope is for me."

The girl was a bit disheartened to know that she wouldn't be sharing her act with the boy that she had a newfound fondness for, but she knew well that the tightrope didn't appeal to many.

"But I would like to watch you." Doll was once again pulled from her thoughts by Alois, and she was shocked at what she heard.

"Ye...really mean that?" The brunette cocked her head to the side.

The boy just smiled softly and nodded in response.

* * *

Alois lay on his bed that evening while the circus performed yet another show; he had spent the day watching Doll practice on the tightrope.

During her practice, Alois had contemplated his options. He knew for certain that he would not be a knife thrower, trapeze artist, or a snake charmer. The blonde had enjoyed training with fire, and though he hadn't admitted it to Doll, Alois had enjoyed the tightrope. His reason for not becoming the circus' second first-string tightrope walker was simple...

_He did not want to take the spotlight away from Doll._

"Mind if I bother ye fer a bit?"

Alois looked up to see Doll, who was peering into the tent with a questioning gaze. He nodded, motioning for her to enter the tent and watched as she walked in. The blonde patted the bed in a gesture for her to sit down, and she happily obliged. After sitting in silence for a few moments, Alois decided to ask, "How was the show?"

Doll shrugged. "T'was the same as always. I always get a lil' bit down when it's over. I get such a rush from performin', y'know?"

Alois nodded in agreement, before the two sat in silence once more. Breaking the somewhat short silence was the blonde, once again, "I had a great time with you today." A small smile spread across his face.

"Same to you." She nodded with a smile in return, before she pulled her headpiece off. Alois was surprised to see that the girl was a brunette underneath her headpiece. He was also surprised to see that her hair fell into place, right over her left eye, just like the headpiece had. He also had noticed what looked like a burn on the left side of her face, before her hair concealed it once more.

"So...why do you cover your left eye?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Alois regretted them. "I mean - uhm..."

The brunette held her hand up. "Don't worry about it, jus' a scar." She pulled her hair back to show him.

Alois was in complete shock, but desperately tried to hide it as he gazed at what the girl would always conceal. The left side of the girl's face was horribly disfigured, burned and scarred. She was missing her left eye, and all that was left of it was an empty socket, deep and gaping. It seemed as if she was incredibly vulnerable now, as if anyone could hurt her in this state.

The boy didn't like it one bit.

Doll touched the horrid scar on her face, and smiled sadly. "Can't even remember what it was like t'ave two eyes. I was jus' a lil' girl when it happened."

"Were you in an accident?" Alois asked.

The tightrope walker shook her head, her horrible wound still visible. "This was punishment..."

Alois was horrified. "P-Punishment...?"

Doll nodded, and sighed. "Me parents were cruel people. Worked me like a slave from the day I could walk on me own two legs. They would punish me in different, horrible ways every time. Each punishment would be worst than the last. Left me out all night in the cold, tore me finger nails off, beatin's, other things..." She trailed off as her fingers lingered over her destroyed flesh. When she spoke again, her tone of voice was low, "Can't even remember what they were punishin' me fer..."

Alois could see the pain in the girl's eyes as she trailed off once more.

_She was forcibly held down on the table by her own mother, while her father held a scalding red rod above her. The girl squirmed, desperately trying to escape from her mother's grasp. However it was no good, for it did not stop them from continuing on with their cruel method of punishment._

_Screams filled the dirt-floored basement, as the horrific burning sensation filled the girl's small body and senses. She could smell her own burning flesh, and felt as though she may vomit because of it. When she felt as though she couldn't take it any longer, she began to beg for her parents to stop. The small girl told them that she would never disobey them ever again, and pleaded for them to just stop. They did not stop, however, and her vision was cut off; red replaced the once vibrant world around her, and she forced her right eye shut. She was horribly frightened, and didn't know what would come next. Could her right eye possibly suffer the same fate? She didn't have much time to stress over this, as the small girl fainted from the overwhelming pain._

_When she awoke, the girl was relieved that she could still see out of her right eye. Then, she noticed that she was outside of her small house, and knew that she was locked out - again. The brunette was still in a tremendous amount of pain as she pulled herself from the ground, and onto her shaky feet. As she gripped onto a light post to steady herself, she let out a deep sigh; the young girl knew that she had really done it this time._

_She slowly limped away from the torture chamber that she had once called a home. The brunette knew that she could not stay there any longer; she knew that she could not take the punishments anymore. No one else lingered on the streets, giving her reason to believe that she was walking the streets in the wee hours of the morning. This didn't matter to her, however, and the young girl didn't stop walking until she made it to a certain alley._

_"And jus' what's a lil' doll like yerself doin' wanderin' along the streets o' the East End."_

_The girl stopped and turned to see a rather unique group of kids._

_"Ye can stay wit' us, if ye got no place to go..." The boy who was speaking to her was missing his right arm._

_The girl hesitated before walking towards the group of odd looking kids. She sat down in the middle of them and was surprised to feel arms around her._

_Usually the brunette would not even speak to people like them, but who was she to judge the group? She was no different now that her face was permanently scarred._

Alois saw a single tear slide from the empty socket that belonged to Doll.

"I've noticed a trend in the members of the troupe..." Alois spoke softly after some hesitation. "You have all been damaged by someone else...and left for dead..."

The brunette nodded. "That's why we stuck together n' formed this 'ere circus."

"Was I made a first-stringer for that reason...?" He asked.

The girl nodded once more. "Exactly the reason why." She paused for a few moments. "I was the one who stripped ye fer Doc's examination. I saw the marks on ye n' convinced Joker t' let ye stay."

The blonde's eyes widened. "It was...you...?"

"T'was."

Alois was silent for a moment before saying, "T-Thank you, Doll..."

"Don't mention it, 'Lois. I knew ye needed a safe place t' stay." She smiled. "I usually don't go this far, but ye remind me so much o' meself, so." Doll shrugged before saying, "I know what it's like t' run away from those who're hurtin' ya. It's scary but relieving all at the same time."

The blonde nodded. "I ran away from a disgusting, perverted old man who had given me a place to stay. I was frightened to leave, because I knew I may end up on the streets yet again, however I could not take the abuse anymore."

"I'm glad ye found yer way here, then." She began to stand after gently patting the blonde's hand. "I hope ye 'ave yerself a good night, 'Lois." The girl smiled.

"Same to you." The boy returned the smile.

As Doll grabbed hold of the canvas entrance, she turned back. "I also know ye weren't expectin' me hand-me-downs t' be so - boyish, but I think they're much comfier. I also fancy 'em better than revealin' clothes, since I don't appreciate bein' _"ogled"_.

Alois chuckled as he watched the girl disappear through the tent.

_What a weird girl..._ Alois thought as he lay on his bed once more.

* * *

_Appearance has nothing to do with character... Beauty & The Beast (...Or The Other Way Around)_

The daily routine continued as usual. Alois ate with Dagger, and was then taken to a new practice area. This time with a cage containing Beast's tiger, who's name was Betty, if Alois remembered correctly.

"Big Sis!" Dagger cooed.

"What do ye want?" The young woman appeared from behind the cage, her tone that of annoyance.

"I brought the newcomer fer some practice wit' ya today." The knife thrower gestured to the smaller boy.

Her expression softened when she saw Alois. "Alright." She sighed. "Get outta 'ere, Dagger."

The man smiled and waved before leaving.

"I guess we ain't been fully introduced." The animal tamer held out her hand. "Beast, the first-string animal tamer. Me tiger be named Betty."

Alois took her hand and shook it. "Alois, Alois Trancy."

"A Trancy, eh?" An odd expression crossed Beast's face. "Aren't they a prestigious family? Must've had a good reason t' run away. Folks like us would die to even be recognized by 'em."

The blonde sighed. "I'm not really a Trancy, more of an...adopted son." He admitted. "Ran away because I could not stand being mistreated anymore."

The young woman nodded in understanding, before holding her hand up to stop the boy. "I got it, hon. Don't gotta go spillin' yer heart out to a stranger. Ye ran away t' save yerself n' that's all that matters. I was in a similar situation meself when I was younger - ran away fer the same reason."

Beast was very closed off when it came down to personal details. Whether it be _her_ personal details, or those of _others_. She knew that everyone carried their own secrets and burdens that they would rather keep private. The young woman was in no way "innocent" or "pure", and she dressed accordingly. She was the type to display all of her emotions on her face, as well as display her character on the outside. The real reason behind her aggressive nature was because she kept all her emotions bottled up inside her; though she wasn't aware of this, a certain young blonde boy was.

Alois had been studying Beast from afar for quite some time. He had witnessed many accounts of the young woman shoving her emotions deep down inside of her. He knew that she was truly not a happy person whatsoever, and he really wanted to help her.

The reason for this, was because Alois had been the same way. It was how he survived for so long. However, once the boy had opened himself up to the other members of the troupe, he had become so much happier. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

"It really isn't good to be so closed off with your emotions, you know..." The blonde spoke softly, and with a considerable amount of uneasiness. He was very intimidated by the woman who gazed down at him. "It does not lead to any good...just more heartache."

"Yer jus' a child." Beast scoffed, "How d'ye expect me t' believe somethin' a kid told me?"

"I may just be a child, but I have been through more than a lot of adults have..." Alois sighed, "I was raped by a disgusting, perverted old man, and because of that I built up many walls around me. I kept my true self from everyone, and acted in a way which hid my true feelings. It was how I survived, just how I got by day-by-day. One day, I just could not take it anymore and I ran away from the manor. I left it all behind because I knew that I was completely losing myself, and I needed to do something before I completely became someone I wasn't. When I arrived here and began talking to the others, I ended up sympathizing with them. I ended up telling them bits and pieces of my story, and in the end I felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders."

Beast did not respond, simply because she just did not know what to say. So instead of sympathizing with the boy, she built up her walls yet again. _"Today I'll be showin' ye me act."_ A stone cold expression was plastered to the young woman's face as she spoke in a hollow tone.

Alois could not believe how the animal tamer had just brushed off his heartfelt speech with meaningless words. The blonde wouldn't back down that easily; he never had and never will. "You are a revolting human being. After I just confessed something so personal to you, you just brush it off? How disgusting." He spoke in a bitter tone, as he stared right at the taller woman.

"Ye 'ave no right t' be talkin' t' me like this. I don't have t' tell you nothin'." Beast crossed her arms. "If ye want sympathy, go find it elsewhere. I lived me life without sympathy from anyone, not even me own family...n' I don't need it."

"Pssh, fine." The blonde shrugged and turned. "I do not need to waste my time with you."

No one had ever spoken to Beast in this manner before. Most people held her in high regard, high authority, and never attempted to cross her. This boy, however, was different; he did not seem to care about her ability to lash out at him, or even sic Betty on him. Alois Trancy was the boy's name, - or so he claimed - and Beast was indeed, very intrigued by him.

"Stay..." The animal tamer sighed in defeat.

Alois turned back to look at her. "What did you say?"

"I said stay." Beast glared at the boy, despising him in that moment for making her repeat herself.

The blonde boy slowly made his way over to the animal tamer. "Why...?" He looked up at her.

"I treated ya wrong jus' then. Ye just wanted t' help me, n' I reprimanded ye because o' it." The young woman now held a soft expression as she spoke. "I'm a very private person, y'see."

"I understand that..." Alois tried to calm himself down as he spoke to the woman. "However, keeping your feelings to yourself, and releasing them in an aggressive way will never amount to any good."

"Ye think so? I've been doin' jus fine all these years..."

Beast's nonchalant response didn't slide past Alois, however, for he saw the look in her eyes that said otherwise. "I don't think that's true, to be completely honest with you. You seem to hide your pain so well that you don't even realize it yourself..."

"Ye think that's the case? Hm..." She crossed her arms and sat down on a chair.

Alois pulled another chair beside Beast, and sat down with a nod. "I can see it in your eyes..."

"Me eyes?" She sighed, knowing that she could no longer fool the boy. "Well...guess ye caught me." The woman rolled her eyes.

"You can trust me with any secret. I know that I am just a stranger, but after the experiences I've had-"

"Are ye jus' gonna keep flappin' yer lips, or are ye gonna listen?" Beast's tone was a mixture of sarcasm and frustration.

Alois stopped himself from rolling his eyes and kept quiet, allowing her to explain herself.

"T'was the step-daughter of a wealthy priest." Beast began. "Born without me left leg n' told I was the product of the devil, jus' because me mum was pregnant out of wedlock. Told me that me punishment from God was me stump fer a leg." The young woman crossed her arms as she rested back on the chair, and closed her eyes. "Called a harlot from the day I could understand English. Kept me locked upstairs n' never let me out...used me, abused me, before I finally decided to run away."

_The door slammed, leaving the girl alone on the bed with no light or comfort. She decided that it was finally enough. As she slipped on a new outfit, she contemplated her options: run away and walk the streets, or go to a relative's house and risk being brought back._

_The first option seemed much more appealing to the young girl._

_After redressing, the girl brushed her hair and grabbed her crutches. Opening the window, she looked down at the shrubs that grew alongside their home. It wasn't that far of a fall, for she could not jump if she even wanted to. Without much more thought, the raven haired girl pulled herself out of the room, before dropping to the ground. She landed on her side, but quickly pulled herself up by using her crutches as support. The chilled, night air blew against her face as she limped away from her home._

_No, it was never a home. It was hell._

_Many men that she passed had treated her as nothing more than her step-father had. Using her and leaving her on the street. The East End was surely no place for a girl such as herself, well-endowed at such a young age, and appearing to be rather mature, for her facial features aged over-time due to her abuse and sadness._

_She had given up hope that night. The girl was resting in front of a closed store when a group of men approached her. She knew what was going to happen, for it had happened too many times to count that night already. The girl who donned black, curled hair did not care for herself or her safety any longer, and was going to allow it to happen._

_As soon as she was pulled upwards by one of the men, she was back on the ground once more. Looking up to see what had happened, she noticed that it was a boy who was holding off the men. "Now what are ye plannin' on doin' to this lovely young lady?" The boy seemed to be her age, if not a bit older._

_"Nothin' a boy like ye would understand!" One of the men attempted to swing at the boy, but his arm was caught by someone. That someone was an abnormally large man, with a furrowed brow and a well muscled form. In one swift motion, the large man snapped the other's hand backwards, and a terrible cracking sound emitted from it. The wounded man screamed as he fell to the ground, clutching his wounded hand to his chest._

_"Now ye others had better get outta 'ere before my other brother catches wind of what yer doin'." The boy smirked._

_Just then a knife went whizzing past her two saviors, hitting another man's shoulder. The girl turned her head to see that it was a boy, younger than she, with a big smile on his face and two more knives._

_"This be the best knife thrower ye'll ever see in yer entire life." The first boy winked towards the girl, who sat in awe on the ground._

_The boy juggled a few knives in his hands, before looking towards the group of men. "Ye want one stuck in yer eye?" He threatened. "Leave this innocent girl alone."_

_The men scrambled to their feet and held their hands up, waving them frantically. "W-We don't want no trouble!" _Cowards._ The girl thought as they whimpered like children. "W-We'll leave ye alone, now!" With that, they scampered away down the street._

_After the group of vermin left, the boy turned to face the girl whom had been saved. "Are ye okay?" He knelt down, his eyes immediately going to her leg, or lack thereof. "I see...ye born without a limb as well. Me arm here, is the same way." It was then, that the girl realized that he did, in fact, not have a right arm._

_They were practically the same._

_He understood her._

_When the girl didn't respond, the boy held out his left hand to help her up. When she was up on her foot, and supported by the crutches, he smiled at her. "I go by the name, Joker. I got a small group o' friends livin' wit' me in the alley right there. If ye ain't got nowhere t' go, would ye like to join us?"_

_A short nod came from the blushing girl. Not once in her life had any male treated her with such kindness, in fact, his eyes never left hers; not even to stare down at her chest like all the others had before._

_It was then that she developed feelings for the charming boy known as Joker._

_Joker led the girl into the alley, where the others were. "Ladies n' gents, this be our newest addition...erm..." He looked questioningly up at her._

_"Mally..." She responded, "Me name is Mally."_

Alois had stayed quietly as she explained herself. However when she was finished, he spoke up quickly, asking, "Your real name is Mally?"

Beast groaned. "Is me silly name _really_ all ye got outta this story?"

The blonde shook his head. "It's just that..._'Beast'_ is so different from _'Mally'_. I am surprised that your true name was something so..._delicate_ sounding."

The animal tamer knew that she could have easily gone off on the ignorant boy, however, she decided to remain calm and collected. "I don't live up t' me stage name, except when performin'. Ye already know me aggression and apathy's all n' act. I live up t' me true name 'till this very day." She sighed before looking questioningly at the blonde in front of her, "Ye said that yer not really a Trancy...so yer name mustn't be yer true name."

Alois knew that it was only fair to return the favor, no matter how angered he was at the young woman beside him. "My real name is Jim, Jim Macken. I was actually a peasant boy before being taken to Earl Trancy." He responded.

"Jim, eh?" A small smile came from Beast. "Nice t' meet ya." She held out her hand.

Alois accepted the offer and took her hand.

After shaking hands, Beast stood up. "Now let's get t' trainin'. We've wasted a good hour or so talkin', I'd say."

The blonde stood up with a nod. "So...animal taming, huh?" He asked as he followed behind the young woman.

"Yep. The best act in Noah's Ark Circus." She responded as they stopped in front of the cage that contained the beautiful tiger.

"This 'ere be Betty."

Alois watched in awe as Beast reached her hand through the cage to pet the large creature. "That's a good girl..." A soft smile crossed the animal tamer's face. "Ye wanna meet a new trainee t'day?" She spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone as she slowly slid the cage's door open. "Be nice now, n' don't bite." The tiger known as Betty slowly exited the cage with grace and delicate steps, like a true lady; she walked over to her master and sat beside her.

The tiger was given another pat on the head, and seemingly leaned into the woman's hand. "Now, the first thing ye need t' know is how t' talk t' an animal properly. Ye need to be real kind n' forgivin', or else they'll never listen t' ya." Beast explained as she gently stroked behind the tiger's ears. "Ye need t' reward them wit' a pet when they're good, or punish them when they're bad." She gestured to a whip that had been hung up on the side of the cage.

Alois kept nodding throughout her explanation, though he wasn't too keen on dealing with dangerous animals - or any animals, for that matter. They were lower beings, disgusting and dirty. However, he knew that he needed to get through his training so that he could become a full-fledged member of the troupe.

However, as he eyed the creature, he knew that this wouldn't end well...

* * *

...and it didn't, not by a long shot.

Beast had thrown him out of the practice area before he even got a chance to really practice at all.

If it weren't for Betty, Alois wouldn't have been thrown out.

Who could blame him for lashing out at the creature who had just narrowly missed whilst trying to bite his hand? All the blonde had attempted to do was give the tiger a simple pat on the head, - like Beast had - though apparently the creature only had eyes for its master.

Alois sighed, resting his arm over his eyes, thinking about how good it would be tomorrow when he finally finished his training. He did not know what Joker had in mind for him, he just hoped that it was something that he could catch on to easily.

He also knew that tomorrow would be _the_ day, _the_ day where he would have to choose which act he would perform as Noah's Ark Circus' newest first-string member.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

***Edited* I changed Beast's name to the supposed canon name in the anime, simply because I don't want to be flamed.**

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this lil' story of mine! It really does mean a lot to me!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter - until next time...**

**~Aszii**


	5. Chapter Five: Decisions-Memories-Wishes

_Wishing the pain could be taken away...Wishing that it was only I who had to endure it..._

The next morning, Alois was surprised to find that Dagger wasn't there to get him out of bed. In fact, he was completely alone in his tent. This was a first, though he wasn't complaining about it; he enjoyed his privacy, even if it would only last for a bit.

Deciding that it would be good to change into different clothing, he got out of bed. The boy had been in the same outfit for a while, and he was starting to feel rather disgusting. The blonde remembered that whilst searching around, he had found the 'baths'. They weren't really 'baths' at all, more like cold buckets of water that would be poured over one's head.

_This would take a lot to get used to..._ He decided. Alois was so used to hot baths that were drawn by the Trancy servants. It was true that being Earl Trancy's favorite bedmate had its perks, however, he much preferred being at the circus.

Alois rummaged through the trunk filled with Doll's old clothes, and pulled out some that were to his liking. He took a towel out of the trunk as well, and began to make his way to the 'baths'.

Luckily enough for Alois, no one else was there. He figured that no one would be, however, since they were all eating breakfast.

After filling a bucket with cold water, the blonde stripped of his clothing. He gazed down at himself, pleased to see that the marks were healing and disappearing. They were a memory of what he endured, and his weakness through it all. He lay there, taking everything that was given to him, and not ever fighting back.

"Here goes nothing..." The boy muttered and held the bucket over his head.

With a bit of hesitation, he dumped the bucket over his naked form. "Bloody hell!" He shouted as the cold water hit his bare skin.

_Well that's one way to wake up...!_

Alois quickly grabbed the towel and began to dry himself off. The boy was shivering, chilled to the bone from the freezing water.

"Thought I heard ye in 'ere..."

The blonde looked up to see Joker standing at the entrance.

He could feel his face heat up as he scrambled to cover himself with the towel. "Sorry for not coming to breakfast." He sighed. "I just really needed a wash."

"No worries." Joker responded with a smile. "I grabbed some grub fer ye, so there's no rush. I'll be waitin' outside fer ye."

Alois watched as the young man walked out, before pulling off the towel that he had used to conceal himself. He quickly dried himself off, dressed, and went to go meet the ring leader of Noah's Ark Circus.

"'Ere's some bread I snagged fer ye." Joker handed a roll to the smaller male. "The food goes rather quickly 'ere." He explained, rubbing the back of his neck with his skeletal hand.

Alois took the roll from the man's hand with a smile. "Don't worry, I wasn't that hungry anyway."

"Well then, let's start the day." The cheery man began to walk away.

Alois followed behind Joker as he ate the measly morsel he had. They walked towards the first-stringer's area instead of another practice area, and into Joker's own private tent.

Once inside, the ring leader sat on the bed and gestured for Alois to join him. The blonde obliged and and sat beside him. "So, how was yer trainin'? Any idea what ye wanna perform?" Joker asked once the boy was seated.

"Am I not being tested today on another act?" Alois asked, confused.

"Me act is t' be the host o' the show, n' I won't let jus' anybody do that." He winked.

"Oh..." The blonde wasn't prepared to choose his act so quickly, however, he did have one in mind - and it was the only one he felt he could do. "Well...I was sort of interested in working with fire, like Jumbo. However, I'm worried that I will steal the act from him."

"Did 'ee teach ya fire eating? Or somethin' else?" Joker asked.

"He showed me how to juggle lit batons, and perform tricks with one." The younger male responded.

"Well then ye won't steal the act away from 'im. 'Ell, ye could introduce 'is act with a routine." The young man was just throwing out ideas, hoping that one would catch the boy's attention.

"I guess that could work...I just...just don't see how you are so accepting of letting me be a first-string member..." The thought had been gnawing at Alois for the entire time he had been at the circus, training with the others. Everyone was just so kind to him, - not including Peter - and it confused him greatly.

"Yer like us, 'Lois...that's why we made ya first-string." Joker sighed, looking at the blonde boy. "Met the others in an alley in the ol' East End - _a gutter where every dirty being emptied its bowels_. We were all the same, n' that's what brought us together. _Everyone in this gutter was thrown away, like us._..due to things such as deformities, lack of money, or even family. Some of us didn't 'ave limbs, n' some were disfigured by their parents, some grew too large, while some didn't grow enough. We were thieves in order t' live, n' always worked together...even if we weren't th' best at it." The young man laughed fondly at the memory that stirred as he explained himself.

_"'Ey! What're ye bloody kids doin'?!" A woman shouted angrily from the door of her shop towards the group of children._

_"Somebody stop 'em!" Another shouted from across the street._

_A gun shot sounded, almost hitting the youngest, - a brunette girl barely six years of age - and just barely missing her bare foot. "That was a warnin' shot!" A masculine voice sounded afterwards._

_"Jus' leave us alone!" Joker turned, gesturing for the others to keep running._

_"Not until ye give us back th' goods!" He shouted, aiming the gun passed the stationary boy, towards his family._

_The boy sighed, dropping the food on the ground before running off with the others._

_"Did ya get anythin'?" Asked the black haired girl, who was missing her left leg._

_Joker shook his head sadly, the little brunette girl was shaking in fear and holding onto his pant leg._

_"Awh man, ye sure?" Asked the boy beside the first girl, though missing his right leg._

_The boy nodded with a sigh, clutching the little brunette girl close._

"_Father saved us from that pile of rubbish. He gave us hands and legs, allowing us to protect what is most precious to us. That's why we decided to live. Even though it meant living in another kind of hell._" He was seemingly lost in thought now, speaking utter nonsense to the boy.

"Father?" Alois cocked his head to the side.

_Damn..._ Joker bit his lip; he had revealed too much.

Was he really going to pull an innocent boy into this?

_There were no witnesses..._

The ring leader sighed before saying, "Father supports the circus financially...not many know about 'im, and those who do aren't allowed to talk about 'im. So, I must ask ye t' refrain from tellin' anyone about 'im."

Alois took note of the usually cheery man's change in attitude at the mention of this "Father", and he was very shocked by this. "You don't have to worry, Joker...I won't tell anyone. I don't even have anyone to tell, so."

A small smile came from the young man. "Thank ye kindly, 'Lois. I promise ye, we aren't keepin' anythin' important from ya...it's jus t' keep ye safe, yeah?"

The blonde nodded; he understood well, knowing that everyone had their secrets. He was an outsider, - no matter what they told him - and he was well aware that they had their own private lives.

"So, somethins been on me mind fer awhile. Mind answerin' a question fer me?" Joker looked at the smaller male beside him.

"Not at all."

"Ye said ye were Alois Trancy, yeah? Were yer parents hurtin' ye at the estate? Is that why ye ran away?"

_That was more than one question..._ The boy sighed, however he decided he had nothing left to lose. "I am not really Earl Trancy's son...I am originally from a small village. However, I was being hurt by Earl Trancy...in many different ways. He made me his "son" for personal purposes."

Joker seemed surprised as his questions were answered. "So, ye aren't a Trancy, eh? So doesn't that mean ye 'ave a family elsewhere?"

Alois shook his head, responding with, "They are all gone...long gone..." He confessed, biting his lip to refrain from bursting into a fit of tears.

The ring leader now understood. The boy must have been picked up off the street if he was taken to some fancy manor, but that must mean...

Joker shivered as he gazed at the boy, frowning. How terrible it must have been to go through that, and at such a young age.

"I didn't 'ave anyone either before meetin' th' others...I understand how it feels t' be alone..." The young man spoke in a soft tone. "Me mother abandoned me fer no good reason...left me fer dead..."

_The young boy walked the streets of the East End, exhausted and starving. He had lost what little food and money he had taken, for he couldn't fight back with only one arm._

_The East End was truly no place for a child._

_Once he couldn't possibly walk any longer, the poor boy walked into an empty alley. He collapsed against the brick wall, asleep within seconds._

Joker had made his home there, in that alley, and had taken in all of the other children who passed by with no place to call home. They had formed a family, and stayed together through everything.

"It's good that you found others who you could relate to, at least..." Alois looked up at Joker. "It probably made it a lot better knowing that others were in the same boat you were, that you weren't the only one..."

The older male nodded. "I guess ye could say that...but sometimes I wish that I was th' only one. I wish that no one else would 'ave t' go through what I had t' at such a young age."

The blonde remained silent as he took this in. He had never met anyone like this man before, someone who cared so much about the happiness of others. The people that Alois usually dealt with were selfish...himself included.

The only other person who was like the man beside him was...

"So, introducin' Jumbo's act with a fire routine, eh?" Joker smiled, leaning back on his arms. "That means yer the first up."

"W-What?!" Alois did not like the idea of being first at all.

The young man chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't ye worry about it. I introduce ye n' Jumbo at the same time, n' ye perform first. That's all there's t' it."

"Well...I guess that could work..." The younger male rubbed the back of his neck. "What about a stage name?"

"Already thought one up fer ye!" The man beamed.

"And that is...?"

With a smirk, Joker uttered one word:

_Blondie._

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

_**Damn, isn't Joker creative?**_  
**Anyway, I apologize for this chapter being so short! However - this is the last part of the "intros", and when the story really takes off.**  
**I'm not sure what I have planned for the next chapter, but I do know what it will lead into.**  
**I did use actual quotes from Joker in this part: while he was talking about the East End and about Kelvin.**

**Favs for Alois doing the ice bucket challenge! ...Even if it wasn't intentional.**

**I also made a roleplay account on Instagram for "Blondie" - this will include updates on the progress of future chapters, costume design, as well as other sneak peeks. The account is (_blondiethefiredancer_).**

**Thank you all so much for your continued support - reviews, favorites, and follows.**  
**It really does keep me motivated to continue on with this story.**  
**I'm so glad that so many people like it!**

**Until next time,**

**~Aszii**


	6. Chapter Six: Dancing Like Flames

_His soul dances like flames without getting burnt._

Alois was put straight to work after his position was decided. He worked diligently in the practice tent, juggling smaller, unlit batons, as well as coming up with somewhat of a _dance routine_ with one larger baton.

Eventually, he began to practice with lit batons. At first he was a bit worried, as he did not want to get burned, however, it wasn't too bad once he got the hang of it. The other first-string members were very impressed by the young boy's talent, and enjoyed having him as a part of their troupe.

During practice one day, Joker had instructed Alois to go to his tent once he was finished. The blonde had obliged, and when finished, made his way to the ring leader's private tent.

When he entered the tent, he was a bit surprised to see Joker was not there. Looking around, Alois saw that there was - what seemed to be - a costume laying on the bed.

"Whatcha think?" A familiar voice spoke from behind the blonde.

Alois turned around to see Joker, a look of confusion crossed his face. "About?"

The taller male gestured to the costume on the bed, saying, "Your costume."

"That's...mine...?" The boy made his way over to the bed, gently running his hand along the material of what was seemingly a dark purple frock coat.

"Course it is." Joker cocked his head to the side, questioningly. "Ye didn't think ye'd be performin' without a costume, did ye?"

"Well...I just..." Alois bit his lip. He wasn't used to this - the kindness that he was being given, and he knew well that it wasn't deserved. However, if it was being given to him so freely, why not just take it? Shaking his head, he chuckled softly, saying, "Never mind, forget it."

Joker patted the smaller male's shoulder, before saying, "Take it t' yer tent n' see how it fits. Then come back 'ere so I can see how it looks on ye."

The blonde nodded, taking the costume from the bed before leaving the tent altogether. He made his way to his own tent, and lay the costume out on his bed.

Alois stripped of his casual clothing, laying it atop of the trunk that served as a wardrobe. Then, he began the struggle of putting on the seemingly complicated costume; the shorts were easy enough, they were black with small golden studs lining the pockets, and the waistcoat was low cut, a burgundy color, with golden buttons and golden detailed flames on each flap. However, there was no dress shirt to wear underneath, which left the blonde feeling somewhat exposed.

He gazed at himself in the mirror, relieved that the bruises had now almost fully healed and were unnoticeable on his exposed chest. After looking at himself, he turned back to the remainder of the costume that lay on his bed.

Searching around some more, Alois found stockings with fastened black, laced garters, and a garter belt. He groaned, knowing what this meant. The blonde had worn his share of garter belts whilst at the Trancy manor, and he wasn't all to fond of them whatsoever.

After repositioning himself with the black, laced garter belt, he began to put on the stockings. They were different styles, however, this didn't shock Alois in the least; he knew well that Doll wore two different stockings on stage, so he didn't question it. Instead, he pulled the black and white striped stocking onto his left leg, and the fishnet stocking onto his right. After clipping them into place with the garter belt, he eyed the black boots with the red and gold laces.

They were high-heeled, about four inches high from what he could see. After some hesitation, Alois took them and pulled them onto his feet. He was used to heels on boots, and could walk well in them, so it wouldn't be a problem. He laced them up, tying a neat bow at the top on each boot.

Next was the dark purple frock coat; while Alois was shocked by the color combination, he didn't mind. He rather enjoyed purple, and found it to be one of the most appealing colors. It had no buttons, and was seemingly kept together by a big, black satin ribbon that was tied into a bow at the right side of his waist.

Looking at himself once more in the mirror, Alois saw that the coat had gold flame detailing, and the material on the cuffs, bottom, and where the coat was supposed to connect in the middle, was seemingly cut - cut into spikes, that is. The shoulders also had material that frayed out in this manner.

Alois looked at the last of the costume that remained: two golden flame hairpins with a sheet of golden-red material that could hardly be seen through.

This was the only piece of the costume that the blonde did not understand.

With a sigh, he picked up the last of the costume, and made his way back towards Joker's tent.

Upon entering, Joker's face lit up as he gazed at the boy. "Fits ye jus' fine!"

"I just have a small issue with this..." Alois held out the items in question. "What exactly are these for? I am certain that these are hairpins, but what is the material-"

The older male held up his hand to stop the blonde. "It's t' hide ye identity, yeah? Ye put it over yer face...like this." He stood up and clipped the pins into place, before draping the material over Alois' face and clipping it to the pins.

The confused boy gazed at himself in the mirror, in awe; he could see out of it, but his face was almost completely concealed. "I...I had never even thought about hiding my face. Thank you." He looked up at the ring leader.

Joker smiled, shaking his head. "Don't mention it. Welcome t' th' troupe!"

* * *

It took awhile for Alois to get the hang of his act whilst performing. He was fine during practice, however, there was just _something_ about performing in front of people that threw him off.

He did not want to be thrown out of the troupe, so, he worked diligently to become the best he possibly could at performing in front of people. Doll was his support, and she would keep an eye on him while he practiced. She would act like his audience, cheering and clapping as he practiced.

She truly was a help.

Upon seeing Alois' struggle, a few other stagehands picked up their instruments and began to play during his practice. They played a melody that only those of the troupe would know, and that melody was what Alois found himself dancing to.

The flames danced about as the boy swung the baton around, moving his hips to the music. He felt...at peace, and free as he danced. He had danced before, this was true, and he had enjoyed it. However, ballroom dancing was nothing compared to this.

Suddenly, the melody was followed by a harmonica; the blonde turned his head to see that Jumbo was playing along with the others. He gazed at the boy, stomping his large foot as he played along.

They were all rooting for him.

They all wanted him to succeed.

Alois' lips broke into a smile as he closed his eyes, dancing around the practice tent with the baton. The flames twirled around him, surrounding him with a comforting heat.

Yes, he chose the right act...

and the right people.

* * *

"Come one and all, to Noah's Ark Circus! T'is truly a night t' remember, fer we 'ave a new act joinin' us!" Joker beamed as he gazed at the crowd. "Please welcome our one n' only, fire specialist!"

The music started as Alois came out, lighting the smaller batons before beginning to juggle them. He smiled at the crowd, though unseen by them due to the veil that hid his identity. He saw children, men and women, who all gazed at him with expressions of excitement and awe.

After juggling, the boy snuffed out the batons, and was thrown a bigger one from the sidelines. He lit it, and began dancing to the stagehands' music whilst twirling the baton around.

Alois completely lost himself whilst performing, forgetting that he used to be a slave to a disgusting Earl, forgetting the peasant boy he used to be. He felt the heat from the flames that swirled around him, ever frightening him - if even just for a second. He was used to this now, for he had to be; this was his new life, his second chance. Blondie was his name now, and he was the first-string fire specialist, the one who introduced the legendary fire eater.

The music was ending, and bringing him back to reality; for that was his cue to finish up his act.

Alois swung the baton high in the air and bounded away. The baton fell into Jumbo's hands and he began his act.

The rest of the performance went as usual, however Alois was feeling exhilarated from performing in front of so many people for the first time.

The rush never stopped, though, for every time he performed from then on, he would feel that way. He loved the feeling, and never wanted to stop performing.

* * *

Alois lived a good life at the circus for about a year, though afterwards, things got a little rough. The first-stringers seemed distant from him, all except for Snake - who didn't seem to understand why they were being given the cold shoulder. Even Doll, who was usually happy and energetic around him, was solemn and secretive.

He simply couldn't take it after awhile. The blonde felt as though he was hardly first-string anymore, and was being treated as an outsider.

So he decided to do something about it.

Alois followed them one night. Followed them out to the town to see what in the world it was that they were hiding, and it had been a terrible mistake.

Children.

They would kidnap children.

All Alois could ask himself was _why. Why_ were they kidnapping children?

It was at that point in time in which he got caught by Beast.

"Looky what we got 'ere!" The animal tamer picked up Alois by the back of his shirt. "A snoop."

The color drained from Doll's face as she gazed forward at the blonde. How terrible must he think of her?

Alois was taken back to the circus, taken into Joker's private tent. The first-stringers, not including Snake, stood around the boy and gazed at him with unreadable expressions.

"So, what should we do t' 'im?" Peter asked, as though enjoying the situation.

"It's like ye say, brother Joker. There're no witnesses." Wendy spoke with a sinister expression.

The ring leader sighed, as if debating what he should do with the boy.

That is, until Alois spoke up. "Why are you kidnapping children?"

"Why do you want to know?" Beast snorted.

The blonde was completely taken aback by how quickly their attitudes towards him could change. He had to think fast, for he feared his safety was in danger. "Because..." He began, sighing in defeat. "Because I know where you can get loads of children...boys particularly." He hung his head, feeling terrible. He had been friends with some of the boys there, as much as he hadn't liked to admit it, and he knew that whatever happened to the kidnapped children wasn't good.

However, he had to protect himself first.

"And where is that?" Joker had his arms crossed.

Alois forced himself to look up at the young man. "Where I ran away from...the Trancy manor. He keeps boys locked up in the dungeon, and his servants aren't all that bright. It should be easy to infiltrate."

It was in those next several minutes, that Alois became a real _first-string member_. He was filled in on all the details; about the children and about this "Father". The children were given to Father, to be used in whatever way he wished, and while Alois thought this was revolting, he went along with it. He had to go along with it...for, there was no witnesses.

* * *

The task was simple: return to the Trancy manor in the early hours of the morning, take down the guards, and then get the boys. However, Alois had a special job - he would be the one to put an end to Earl Trancy, the man responsible for this in the first place.

They had infiltrated the manor rather easily - just as Alois had predicted. The servants were taken down by Jumbo, Wendy, and Peter, while the others spread out in different directions. Joker, Dagger, Beast and Doll to the dungeon below, and Alois upstairs to where Earl Trancy slumbered.

However, the blonde hadn't predicted what his reaction would be, once he held the knife over the man who had defiled him. While his hatred for the man was strong, he simply couldn't make himself press the knife to the man's throat. His hand shook, his heart raced, and he shut his eyes, trying to block out the voices that took over his thoughts.

_Do it fer th' pain he caused ye...show 'im that pain._

_Ye can finally be free._

_He's a sick individual, n' better off dead._

The things that the first-stringers had spoken to him swirled around in a cyclone in his head, brainwashing him in an unintentional way.

Alois set his gaze on the man, as the other's tired eyes slowly opened.

"A-Aloi-" The old man's eyes went wide as the knife sliced across his neck. The blonde boy glared at the man, pain and hurt clearly visible in his eyes as he watched the life drain out of the Earl.

Just like that, the disgusting man's eyes went dark; he slumped down on the bed with his mouth open in a shocked expression.

Just like that, it was finished.

That was his first mission out with the first-string members of Noah's Ark Circus.

* * *

"Happiness - it's so fleeting, so erratic." A certain blonde laughed to himself as he sat in the middle of his tent, sewing a button back onto his performing shorts. "There one moment, gone the next. Somewhat like this button, don't you agree?" He looked up at the brunette girl who sat on his bed.

"I...I'm sorry, 'Lois." Doll sighed, looking down at her ballet slippers.

"We must use performing names, Doll." Alois reminded her. "No one must know our true identities."

"I jus...feel so bad ye had to be dragged into this. I-I never wanted this fer ye." A single tear rolled down the left side of her face, the side that was covered by her hair.

The blonde chuckled. "Don't cry over things you can't control...that's what I learned to do."

The brunette hated seeing the boy so sad, so broken once again. He had been so happy during those first few performances, so alive. After the first mission, the boy changed; changed much like Joker had, much like they all had after _Father_ came into the picture.

Slowly, Doll moved herself off the bed and onto the floor. Her hands gently cupped Alois' cheeks as she turned him to face her. "Please...I hate seein' ye like this." The girl gazed at the blonde desperately.

The fire specialist mustered a sad smile. "What can I do?" He shrugged. "This is our life, isn't it? Pretending we're fine during performances and towards each other, pushing the pain deep inside of us while we kidnap children and kill the witnesses."

Doll was at a loss for words, completely and utterly defeated. Her hands fell from Alois' cheeks to her lap, her shoulders hunched and her head down. "I-I'm sorry..." She sighed.

All she wanted was for them to be happy, to be happy and free. Though she had been told numerous times that she was acting childish, immature, and delusional for thinking such things.

Alois sighed, gazing down at the distraught girl. He reached out towards her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't act so down..." He sighed once more, rubbing her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Come, hold your head high...there's no need to be sad about something you can't control."

Doll looked up at the boy, tears streaked down her face.

The blonde frowned, wiping the girl's tears away with his thumb. "Don't cry..." He sighed, pulling her close to him and resting his head on her shoulder. "I should be sorry. You've gone through this for much longer than I have."

The tightrope walker sighed, closing her eyes. "Ever since I was a child...ever since..._he_ found us." She gripped onto Alois' shirt, biting her lip to keep herself from breaking down.

"Why...why does he do this?" The boy knew that his question wouldn't be answered, for it couldn't be answered; not by her or any of the members.

_He would have to go directly to the source._

Doll shook her head, her eye shut tightly as she fought against the tears. "He be insane, he is. I don't like 'im one bit, but I'm the youngest, so I follow the others..."

Alois didn't quite know what to do, so he stayed the way he was, comforting the girl he had grown to love like a sister during the year he had been at the circus.

* * *

This continued on the same for quite some time, performing as happy, carefree troupe members, but then kidnapping children as cold criminals, only to go back to the circus once their target was whisked away in a carriage, to wallow in their self-hatred and sadness.

Alois had celebrated his fourteenth birthday months before they arrived back in London for "the performance of a lifetime", as Joker had called it. However, the "performance of a lifetime" wasn't a performance at all - it was one of their _missions_. They had a special target for Father, and it was a tough task, probably the toughest they would ever face. Father had grown increasingly obsessed with a boy known as Ciel Phantomhive, a child Earl, and wanted him desperately. Though the blonde had never met this "Father", he knew of the power the man held over the other first-string members.

He knew of the first-stringers' past as children abandoned in the East End; their disabilities rendered them useless in the eyes of many people, and they were thrown away like garbage. However, _Father_ took them in, and gave them the limbs they needed, gave them a home to live in, and gave them a purpose. They felt like they were in debt to this man, as though they owed him their lives. No matter how much they despised what they did, they did it for repayment.

As they made their grand entrance down the street, Alois danced at the side of one of the carriages to the tune the stagehands played. On the other side, Jumbo displayed his talent of fire eating.

A crowd formed along the streets as they made their way through London to their final place, the place where the circus was to be set up.

Alois felt a chill pass through him as he danced down the street.

Something was going to happen, he could feel it in his bones.

The circus would be torn apart in some way.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**Well, it couldn't stay happy and lighthearted forever, now could it?**

**This chapter did move along very fast, however, that's what I was going for. I'm not one to drag out stories, so I just wanted to set the stage for when Ciel enters the picture - which will, in fact, be in the next chapter.**

**As I mentioned in the last chapter, I do have a roleplay account for Alois/Blondie on Instagram - though I have yet to post on it because life n' stuff. I originally wanted to release Blondie's costume design on there the same time I posted this chapter, however, I haven't redrawn it yet. So, I hope the description was satisfactory for now. That being said, I wanted to stick somewhat close to Alois' canon outfit (hence the purple frock coat, duh).**

**As for the whole fire dancing thing, I just think it fit Alois' personality. My decision was also made based on what Claude said in the_ Spider's Intention OVA_ - how Alois' soul "dances like flames".**

**I'd just like to add that the music I feel that Alois would be dancing to during his performances would be, how would I explain...my vision was the song that played in Book of Circus episode one, when the circus performed down the street at the end (or I guess I could just say it's the song called "Book of Circus" on the Kuroshitsuji soundtrack). I dunno guys, I love that song and can't wait for the soundtrack to be out, so I can hear the full version.**

**As for the whole Alois/Doll thing I have going on, I'll leave that up to interpretation.**

**I felt like a terrible person handing over the boys to Kelvin, but I wanted to introduce Alois into the kidnapping biz (OH MY GOD THAT SOUNDS SO BAD!) for reasons that will be revealed in later chapters.**

**Anyway, I think I'm done typing now.**

**Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites - it means so much!**

**Until next time,**

**~Aszii**


	7. Chapter Seven: Suspicious Minds

_Won't be fooled that easily._

He could see past the façade from the moment he laid eyes on them...

_Suit_, _Black_, and of course, _Smile_.

Those three weren't normal newcomers; the blonde boy knew this well. They were hiding something, he could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. They were there for a purpose, a purpose that may very well bring an end to everything he had grown to love.

Suit had arrived before the others, and had been the beginning of Alois' suspicion. The man had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, spoke perfect English, wore nice clothing, and was a flawless performer. He had captivated the others with his performances, all except for the blonde boy who simply could not understand _how_ the other first-stringers were not suspicious.

Then Black and Smile arrived, and the feeling of uneasiness only grew within Alois. The man clad in black was just as flawless of a performer as Suit, maybe even more so. There was also the tiny detail of nice clothing and the ability to speak perfect English, that rose the blonde's suspicion. While Smile wasn't the same as the two in the clothes department, he did speak perfect English as well, making them no better than the other two in the fire specialist's book.

It bothered Alois to no end, seeing those three being accepted as if they were just like the rest of them. They were by _no means_ like the rest of them. Noah's Ark Circus was for those less fortunate, those who were thrown away by the world.

Not these three.

They were here for ulterior motives, and the fiery blonde boy knew this well.

"This 'ere be Smile." Joker looked at Alois as he gestured to the boy with the slate-hair and eyepatch.

The fire specialist had his arms crossed as he gazed down at the shorter boy. "Nice to meet you." His tone was dripping with sarcasm as he smirked and performed a fake curtsy before the boy.

Both _Smile_ and Joker seemed surprised by the blonde's display. The ring leader stepped forward, attempting to lighten the mood in a discreet manner. "Well, we might as well be gettin' ye assigned a tent n' a roommate. Blondie, got any idear if Freckles is around?"

Alois rolled his eyes, always hating to play dumb in front of newcomers. "No, I haven't seen him anywhere, and quite frankly, _I'm glad_." This was the usual act that would be put on when newcomers came, however, the blonde would usually scamper off to find this so-called young _male_ called "Freckles".

The first-stringers knew that _Freckles_ and _Doll_ were the same person, the same good-hearted, sweet, tightrope walker that they all knew. However, given their rather _unique_ situation, Doll usually went undercover, acting as the newcomer's roommate in order to see if they were truly genuine about joining. (She also didn't want them to mess up, or get themselves in trouble by trespassing on "first-string property".) However, that little bit, and the fact that she hated sleeping alone, were things that she kept to herself.

As to why Doll was branded a male whilst acting as "Freckles", well, that was just because of her appearance out of costume. It was an ongoing joke amongst the first-stringers, as they found it rather amusing that so many of the newcomers really did believe that the young brunette was a boy.

She was never one to enjoy dresses as casual wear, so she preferred to wear more "masculine" clothes for their comfort; as well as the fact that she hated being gawked at for being a female, with breasts - like Beast was so frequently.

Alois knew this well, and didn't think much of it. He accepted her personal choices, and was rather relieved, in fact; her casual clothes fit him perfectly, so he didn't have to walk around in over-sized clothing...or dresses.

"Ah, come now, he ain't that much o' a troublemaker." Joker winked in attempt to keep the conversation lighthearted. Resting his skeletal hand on _Smile's_ shoulder, the taller man looked down at the outsider. "Freckles be a lil'...energetic, but he don't mean no harm. He's a good roomie, I promise ye."

"Oh, Freckles is rooming with Smile?" Blondie pouted, putting his quickly thought up plan into action. "Can't I?"

Alois was going to milk this so-called _newcomer_ for everything he was worth; he was going to find out _why_ Black had been so insistent on that little brat joining the circus, he was going to find out why they wanted to join in the first place. He was going to find out, even if it was the last thing he did.

Both Joker and 'Smile' were - again - visibly surprised at Alois' request. After having shown his obvious dislike of the shorter boy, he wanted to share a tent with him?

"Blondie, ye got yer own tent. Y'know that us first-stringers got our own area." The ring leader looked down at the blonde questioningly.

Alois shrugged. "I was thinking maybe I could show _Smile_ around, yeah? Keep an eye on him and whatnot. Just trying to look out for our newcomer." He smiled sweetly.

Though Joker knew this had to be a lie, he debated whether or not to grant Alois what he wanted. This was not like the blonde boy at all, and the ring leader knew this well. However, there had to be a reason for it, right? Maybe Alois was just trying to open himself up more to other people? He had never made an attempt to get to know any of the second-stringers before...maybe the boy was trying to change?

_Yeah right..._ He thought, chuckling to himself, before turning his attention back to Alois. "Sure." He nodded. "I mean, I think that'd be a grand idea! Now lets get ye both assigned t' a tent."

Joker began to lead the boys away, pulling Alois close to whisper a warning in his ear, "Promise me ye'll at least _try_ t' get along with 'im. Please, Blondie?"

The fire specialist sighed, nodding in a silent agreement.

"Now go get yer belongins n' I'll let ye know which tent is yers once ye come back." The taller male smiled.

Alois nodded once more, running off to the first-string area.

The ring leader spent several minutes looking around and inside of the tents, until finally coming upon an empty one on the end. After straightening up the tent a bit and directing the blonde to the location once he had returned, he left to allow the boys to unpack and get settled.

"How revolting..." Alois crinkled his nose, looking around the tent. He had never been in one of the second-string tents before, and had no idea of the absolute _horror_ that it was. A single trunk, a lantern, and a bunk bed were the only furnishings in the tent, and the boy was not impressed one bit.

The newcomer didn't reply, and simply set down the trunk that contained his belongings, or lack thereof. As _Smile_ opened the trunk, Alois saw that there weren't many clothes at all. In fact, the only clothing contained in the trunk seemed to be his performing outfit, and just _one_ extra set of clothing.

There was only one explanation for this:

_He was not planning on staying there long._

"So, why do you only have a total of _three_ outfits." Alois narrowed his eyes at the boy, crossing his arms.

"Why do you care?" The slate-haired boy muttered, closing the trunk before sitting on it. He gazed at the blonde, sighing before saying, "If you must know, I don't have many clothes - only those two outfits. I used to live in the East End where I only had the clothes on my back, and then worked in a manor where I stole another set of clothing."

Alois rolled his eyes. "You're such a dramatic person..." He sighed, and then continued, "If you need more clothes, I guess you could use mine..." He muttered.

_Smile_ was surprised at the blonde's sudden change in attitude, and managed a small "thank you".

Alois rolled his eyes, responding with a "hmph" before looking away, his chin resting on his hand.

It was silent for several minutes, before the shorter boy broke the silence by asking, "Top or bottom?"

"Huh?" Alois was a bit dazed for a moment, before his lips broke out into a smirk. "Eh, I'm usually bottom, but sometimes I'd like to be on top." He spoke in a seductive, yet sarcastic tone.

_Smile_ blinked, before shaking his head. "I should have expected nothing more than perverse performers at this circus." He sighed, sitting on the bottom bunk. "How utterly _wretched_."

The fire specialist narrowed his eyes. "So what are you speaking proper English for, then? I mean, if you're apparently from the _East End_ and all that other _shit_."

The boy was rather taken aback by the blonde's bitter attitude towards him, however, he had to remind himself that this was to be expected. _No one knew who he really was._ Sighing, _Smile_ looked up at the boy known as _Blondie_. "I could ask the same to you, _Blondie_."

Alois only grew more irritated as their conversation went on. "Why in the world would I tell you?! You think that I'd just go around telling my life story to complete _strangers_?!"

With a smirk, the slate-haired boy shook his head. "You seem so angry. Here's an idea: why don't you untwist your knickers? You'll be a lot less hot-headed, and then we can have a more civil conversation."

The blonde's face had now turned a deep shade of red as he marched his way over to the eye-patch wearing lad. His agreement with Joker forgotten as he grabbed the boy by the collar of his shirt, glaring at him. "Listen up. You're on our turf now, and that means you aren't to cause any trouble for me or my _family_! I know you aren't the little sob story you claim to be! So cut the act!"

"If you would stop shouting at me for one minute, and let me go?" 'Smile' spoke softly, calmly, as he usually would whilst dealing with people like this.

Apparently, the 'helpless' act wouldn't work.

Alois glared at the boy for a second, before releasing him and taking a step back; he took a deep breath, angry at himself for allowing himself to act in such a way. He was doing this for his family, there was no way he could mess this one up; he needed to try to keep himself calm.

"What seems to be the issue here, Blondie?" The slate-haired boy looked up at the other.

"You, of course." The fire specialist rolled his eyes, speaking in a bitter tone.

"And why is that?" _Smile _cocked his head to the side in question.

"I don't have to tell you anything." Alois snorted, sitting down on the trunk filled with his own belongings.

The newcomer looked utterly confused as to why the blonde was acting so hostile towards him.

"Don't play innocent and confused, you know why I'm acting this way." He glared at the other.

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about." _Smile_ shook his head in response, shrugging slightly.

"Like _hell_ you do." Alois shot back.

Their bickering continued on until dinner time, and continued on even after. Alois would not back down to someone like _Smile_, someone who could be what tore them apart. He listened to his instinct, what his head told him, and it wasn't good.

The blonde was currently hanging over the side of the top bed, staring down at the boy who lay on the bottom bed. He had been staring for several minutes, purposely trying to make _Smile_ uncomfortable - and it was working.

The eye-patch wearing lad could not take it anymore, he turned his gaze to Alois, asking, "Do you _have_ to stare at me?"

"Do you have to be here?" Alois responded.

_Smile_ rolled his visible eye, turning onto his side on the bed.

The blonde snickered before sitting up on the bed; he stretched, getting used to his new position, then grabbed the blanket and pillow from the bed, and descended the ladder.

The slate-haired boy watched as Alois made his way towards the entrance of the tent, and sat in front of it. He placed the pillow down on the floor and rested his head on it, pulling the blanket around him.

_Smile _sat up to get a better look at the boy, only to find that he really was laying on the floor with his makeshift "bed". "What are you _doing_?" He asked, utterly confused.

"What does it look like?" The blonde muttered, closing his eyes. "Making sure you don't go anywhere without me knowing."

The boy rolled his visible eye, letting himself fall back on the bed.

_This was going to be difficult._

"Will you kindly _stop_ staring at me?" _Smile_ set down his fork, gazing back at Alois.

The blonde had been staring at the newcomer ever since they had begun their meal. His approach for information was really getting on the other's nerves, and he enjoyed it. "I would...but I don't want to."

The shorter boy sighed, finishing his food unusually quickly in order to get away from the blonde. However, much to his dismay, the fire specialist followed behind him with a clean plate as well.

"Time for practice." Alois smirked, setting his plate on the table along with the others.

Taking _Smile's_ hand in his, the blonde forcefully dragged the boy towards the practice tent. The shorter boy let out an exasperated sigh, allowing himself to be dragged by the other.

Upon entering the tent, the two saw that many others had already made it; some were conversing, some were stretching, and some were hard at work practicing.

The boys made it to a free space and began to prepare to practice. Alois began to stretch his stiff muscles, as sleeping on the floor really hadn't been the best for a performer such as himself.

"Are you going to spend your practice time just watching me stretch? Or are you going to actually work for your position here?" Alois glared at the boy, stretching his legs. "I hope you know that we're very serious about our circus."

_Smile _sighed, looking fairly unmotivated as he stretched his arms above his head in a sad attempt to stretch.

"Ugh..." The blonde shook his head. "You're so hopeless!" He got back into starting position and said, "Now follow me." He began to stretch once more, watching the other boy as he did so; he was surprised, to say the least, that the other actually followed along with him.

"So what is your act?" _Smile_ asked as he stretched along with the taller boy. He obviously had no real interest in knowing, but after seeing how easily _Blondie's_ mood changed, he wanted to try to stay on his good side.

Who knows? He could probably get some good information by using the boy's mood swings against him.

"I'm a fire specialist." Alois responded, lighting a few short batons. "I juggle, dance, and perform other tricks with lit batons."

After lighting them, the boy began to juggle them. After his years of being in the circus, the boy's juggling was seamless. Other second-stringers stopped their own practice to watch as the blonde skillfully threw and caught the batons. The flames framed Alois' face as he juggled, gazing specifically at _Smile_.

Eventually, the blonde snuffed out the batons, earning an applause from those watching. He was even surprised to see that _Smile_ was, in fact, clapping as well.

_What a joke._ Alois rolled his eyes, snorting as he picked up the larger baton. Lighting it, he got into position.

That was when the real show began.

The music seemed to come from nowhere as _Blondie_ began to dance, twirling the baton around as he did so. He kept eye contact with _Smile_ at all times as he danced, a smirk playing on his lips as he spun.

The lad was completely entranced by the whole performance, to say the least. The boy seemed to be engulfed in the flames that swirled around him, illuminating his face in a sinister way, illuminating the smirk.

_How familiar the boy was..._

_Smile_ watched as the familiar boy danced, forever keeping his gaze set on him. The smirk was his defining feature, the feature that had the boy utterly confused.

_Where had he seen this boy before?_

"Your turn." Alois broke the boy from his thoughts as he finished his dance, snuffing out the fire on the baton.

"My turn?" _Smile_ was a bit disoriented from the other's performance.

"To practice?" The blonde cocked his head to the side.

"Huh? Oh! Yes, of course. I'm certain there are some knives I can use around here...somewhere..." The shorter boy looked around, scanning the tent for practice knives.

"Here." _Blondie_ pulled the knives seemingly out of nowhere, holding them out to _Smile_. "Now practice."

"Thanks..." The boy didn't sound thrilled at all, and looked around as he took the knives from Alois.

_He was looking for someone._

The fire specialist noticed this, becoming evermore suspicious. Upon seeing the supposed "performer's" hesitation, he nudged the boy with his shoulder. "What are you waiting for?"

"Uh...nothing I suppose..." The shorter of the two stepped forward, in front of the target and took aim.

He threw the knife...

only for it to stop right in front of the target board.

"Ah! I cannot believe I missed! I promise you that I can do better!" _Smile_ looked up at the blonde, false shock displayed on his face.

Alois snorted. "Well you had better show me "better", because right now I'm just seeing a boy with _shit_ aim."

The newcomer took aim, and attempted once more. However, once again, he missed - and he continued to miss each and every single time.

The fire specialist's suspicion grew and grew. How had this so-called "new talent" even passed the examination?!

"You _cheater_!" Alois couldn't stop himself, he just couldn't take it anymore. "Why are you _really_ here?! You obviously have no interest in performing!"

_Smile_ turned to look at Alois, an expression of shock clearly written on his face. "I-I'm sorry, Blondie. I just-"

"Shut up!" The blonde got close to the shorter boy, staring down at him with an expression of pure rage. "How is it that you did so bloody _great_ during your examination, but you can't even hit the target board in here?!"

Attention was now being brought to the two, first and second-stringers alike stopped practicing to see what was going on. Dagger, who was one of those amongst the crowd, stepped forward and waved his hands in front of him. "Blondie, calm down!" He walked towards the boys, and asked, "What seems to be th' issue 'ere?"

"_Smile_ is an impostor! He can't even hit the bloody target board, let alone throw the knife anywhere remotely close to it!" Alois turned to Dagger as he shouted, still in close proximity to the so-called "impostor".

"Now Blondie, everyone 'as off-days. Ye've had 'em before, yeah?" The knife thrower got in between the two, pushing them away from each other. "Jus' give Smile some time, 'ee may be havin' a rough day." The young man smiled kindly at both boys, before taking a step back.

"Dagger, please listen to me!" The fire specialist now had to resort to begging, something which, he did not enjoy at all whatsoever. "There's something off about them - _Smile_, _Suit_, and _Black_! I don't think they're here just to-"

"Blondie!" Dagger snapped, his smile quickly turning into a frown. "There be none o' that. Everyone is welcome, 'ere - includin' them!"

Alois sighed, completely and utterly defeated. He shot a look at _Smile_, and then to the others who had now gathered around. Humiliation, rage, fear, and determination built up in him as he gazed at their judgmental stares, and he felt his whole body heat up.

_No one was on his side._

_He was absolutely alone._

Upon storming off, no one called after the blonde boy, no one even ran after him.

However, once exiting the tent, he bumped into someone slightly taller than himself. Looking up, he saw Doll staring down at him with a confused expression.

That expression soon turned into one of worry, as she saw the state he was in. "'Lois- er...Blondie, what's wrong?" She asked softly, reaching her hand out towards the clearly distraught boy.

Alois backed away, shaking his head as he wiped a tear away. "I want to be alone." He muttered, and pushed past her.

* * *

From then on, Alois never let the outsider out of his sight. He made sure that he knew where the boy was at all times, and strived to make it difficult for the boy to do anything on his own.

This meant sneaking out to talk to _Black_ specifically, for he had caught the two conversing many times.

As for performing, the blonde had been allowed a break. The first-stringers thought it was in his best interest to calm down a bit before he began to work with fire once more.

They were more afraid he would light things on fire, than anything else.

He also didn't aid the first-stringers on their little "missions" any longer, for he had more pressing issues to deal with. He spent his days questioning, following, and even confronting the three "newcomers" - however, without much luck.

This routine continued on for some time, and the boys both grew increasingly tired of it.

Alois' distance with the circus was all because of that little brat - the little brat who the blonde knew was nothing but trouble. He tried everything he could to try to make _Smile_ slip up, to reveal any information that may be helpful to finding out his true reason for infiltrating their circus.

However, to no avail, for the boy who acted so innocent knew very well that he was being tested.

The fire specialist had one more trick up his sleeve, and he would use it to his advantage.

It would most definitely get the boy what he wanted.

He had figured it out the night that the two arrived, and had kept it a secret in order to confirm his suspicion. For this trick needed some investigation, and he had done so very discreetly.

There were snoops around the circus: old workers from manors, those who used to be somebody, even criminals - and they were more than happy to give Alois the information he needed. For only a small price, the blonde got everything he needed, and even more.

His suspicion had been confirmed, and he put his plan into play that very night.

He arrived back at the tent after dinner, only to find _Black_and _Smile_ conversing.

"So what do we have here?" The fire specialist crossed his arms, smirking. "You should know very well that being in a tent that was not assigned to you is against the rules."

The man clad in black turned to the boy, and stared at him with those piercing, red eyes. He looked the blonde boy up and down, before smiling, and resting a hand over the left side of his chest. "My apologies. I shall be taking my leave, then."

"Seba- Black!" _Smile _attempted to chase after the man, but was stopped by a certain someone's arm.

Alois smirked. "What was that now?"

"Nothing." The boy huffed, glaring up at the other.

"Nothing, hm?" The blonde leaned closer, his lips directly beside the shorter boy's ear. "It didn't sound like nothing to me..." He spoke in a breathy tone, slowly snaking his arms around _Smile_. "Tell me, _Smile_, what exactly is your business here?"

"I told you." The slate-haired boy clenched his teeth. "We needed a place to go and-"

"Don't lie to me." Alois hissed, his breath hitting against the other's sensitive skin.

_Smile_ remained silent after that, appalled at his own inability to respond.

Slowly, the blonde pulled away from the shorter boy, an expression of indifference on his face. "_Tom he was the piper's son..._" Alois muttered, taking a few steps back as he lowered his gaze. "_He learned to play when he was young..._"

_Smile_ looked utterly confused as he gazed up at _Blondie_, cocking his head to the side slightly. "Why are you...?" Of course the eye-patch wearing lad knew of the song that the first-stringers seemed all to fond of, but he did not understand the meaning of the blonde's seemingly random outburst of the song.

The fiery blonde turned on his heel, examining a certain photograph that he had taken out of his pocket. "_And all the tune that he could play..._" The blonde continued his soft singing, rubbing his thumb over the image on the paper. "_Was 'over the hills and far away'..._" With one swift movement, the boy flung the photograph onto the ground. "_Over the hills and a great way off..._"

The slate-haired boy's visible eye went wide as he looked at the photograph, he quickly reached out to grab it, only to be stopped by Alois. His hand gripped the shorter boy's wrist, smirking in a sinister manner as he whispered, "_The wind shall blow my top-knot off..._"

"I-I demand to know where you got that photo from!"

The fire specialist chuckled, "I'd be happy to oblige, after you tell me what your business here..."

He gazed down at the photograph, before snapping his eyes back to the boy's face, and uttering two words,

"_Ciel Phantomhive._"

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**I had such a difficult time with this chapter... I find it so hard to write for these two and their relationship, but it's my OTP - funny, eh? I feel like it would be this complex, love/hate sort of thing - at least that's what I'm going for. Also, Alois' mood swings don't help.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. I feel like my struggle with this chapter can be seen in my writing... I dunno, just a hunch. Ugh, I promise I'm not a bad writer! I just totally gave up all of my knowledge of grammer, punctuation, etc. in order to get through this chapter - and I'm not impressed. I needed to upload this or I'd have to completely rewrite it over again. This writing shiz makes me crazy, man. But hopefully the future chapters will be better now that I have the relationship and plot set up - I actually know what's going to happen! This chapter was basically me just trying to figure out _how_ exactly to set things up.**

**I added a crappy drawing that I spent too much time on for the cover photo, FYI.**

**Also just figured out I can reply to reviews...but I think I'll just post the replies in the A/N because I don't want to bother you all with my PMs! For now I'll just reply to the one since it was an actual question, but for future reviews, I promise I'll include them! I appreciate them all so much, and they keep me motivated~**

**Review Replies**

**From: kitty tokyo uzumaki  
**

**"Yay! XDDDD So happy you updated! XD I'm near the edge of my seat for when Alois and Ciel meet as Blondie and Smile! Also did you see the end of the anime yet? It left me in tears! TTTT I look forward to your next update!"**

**Yes, of course! I was fine all the way until the end, to be completely honest with you. I think I cried more than I ever have during any other anime I've ever watched. Thank you for your kind review, and I hope I did not disappoint you with this sad excuse for an update! :)**

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews, favorites, and of course - follows~**

**Until next time,**

**~Aszii**


	8. Chapter Eight: Familiar Faces

"Ciel Phantomhive."

Never in the boy's life had he heard his name be spoken in such a way; a way so bitter, filled with upmost resentment and disrespect.

No, the young Earl wasn't used to being treated in such a manner before, especially someone of such a low class.

However, instead of reacting in a hostile way, the Phantomhive boy simply chuckled, saying, "So you figured it out." He crossed his arms. "I have to say, I'm impressed.

Alois snorted. "You think I'd let the Queen's Watchdog get away with his little "investigation" of our humble little circus?" He gazed at Ciel, a hand trailing down the shorter boy's arm as he spoke once more, "What is your business here?"

The Earl had to think quick, and based his decision on what would be most likely to get him the answer that he needed to solve this case. "I have been trying to solve the string of kidnappings, that just so happen to follow the course of your _humble little circus_. Based on that, you are all our prime suspects."

"We are?" The fire specialist seemed shocked as he took in the information. "Well, I can see why we would be at the top of your list."

"So, what information can you give me about this _circus_?" Ciel slowly backed away from Alois' touch.

The fiery blonde crossed his arms; this had put him in a rather difficult decision. "Well, there's an animal tamer, a tightrope walker-"

"Don't toy with me." The slate-haired boy rolled his visible eye - he had absolutely no time for games.

Alois cocked his head to the side, a painfully innocent expression clearly visible on his face. "Well, what is it that you _really_ want to know?"

"I would like to know about the kidnappings and, judging by your attitude, I am very suspicious of this _circus_ you are running." The Earl responded. "Now, do you know anything about the children who have been kidnapped?"

A smirk spread across the blonde's face. "I assure you, I know _nothing_ about the kidnapped children." This was true, as Alois had not helped on a mission for a very long time, so he had no knowledge of the more recent kidnappings. "I am quite offended Lord Phantomhive, I do not believe that treating a supposed _suspect_ like this will get you anywhere."

Ciel glared at the fiery blonde in front of him, before sighing in defeat. _He would have to approach this a different way._ "I suppose that you are correct, and for that, I _apologize_."

Alois smirked. "I _accept_ your apology.

The Earl had never met a person such as the boy who stood before him, someone so...unique. It was then that he felt something begin to rise from deep within the depths of him, something which, was foreign to him. Could it be that, the great Ciel Phantomhive actually admired the boy known as _Blondie_?

The boy's determination and investigating skills were, in fact, admirable. Ciel had never come across such a person in his life, for no one had ever tested Earl Ciel Phantomhive before.

Yet, the first one to do so stood right in front of him, in the form of a young, effeminate blonde boy - who was so painfully familiar.

No, this wasn't just 'admiration'...this was..._attraction_. Ciel was attracted to the boy who dared to test his limits, the boy who seemed so skilled in investigation and interrogation.

It was absurd, wasn't it? An Earl, Earl Ciel Phantomhive at that, entwined in the web of a lowly circus performer.

However, the eye-patch wearing lad was completely and utterly entranced by _Blondie_.

"You rather enjoy staring at me, don't you?" Alois smirked, rather triumphant that his plan had worked.

Ciel quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing red.

The fiery blonde chuckled at this, a finger tracing patterns on the Earl's forearm once more, before he turned away.

The shorter boy watched as _Blondie_ climbed the ladder to the top bed, and raised an eyebrow. "You aren't doing _surveillance_ any longer?"

"I already got the information I wanted." Alois smirked, resting his head on the pillow. "Feel free to continue on with your _investigation_, Lord Phantomhive." The name rolled off of the seductive boy's tongue.

A smirk graced his lips as he heard the bottom bed creak with new weight.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the late hours of the night, a certain group of very unique-looking people were scanning the streets of London, seeking out their next victim.

However, that night was a special night, for it was Doll who would be in charge of luring the child in.

Peter was the mastermind behind the plan, of course; he wanted nothing more than to put Doll to work, for he simply viewed her as a "free-loader", and because the tightrope walker was the youngest, she felt as though she needed to prove herself - so she went along with it.

A girl stood in front of her, a girl that must've been only six or seven years of age - but that alone wasn't what made Doll feel sick to her stomach. What did, however, was the child's appearance - shaggy, brown hair, with sparkling blue eyes, that reminded the teenage girl so much of herself.

"Are you a princess?" The smaller brunette looked up at the tightrope walker in awe.

Doll forced a smile, shaking her head with a breathy chuckle. "It be you that's the princess..." She knelt down to the other's level, gazing at her. "What be yer name?"

"Sally." The girl giggled.

"Sally...hmm..." Doll thought for a moment. "Ye know what that name means, yeah?"

The smaller brunette shook her head. "Do you know?"

"Yep, sure I do!" The tightrope walker leaned close, before whispering, "It means _princess_."

Sally gasped, "Really?!"

Doll smiled, nodding as she stood. "Ye were born a princess, darlin'." She held out her hand towards the girl. "And I best be givin' ya the _princess_ treatment...so come wit' me."

The smaller of the two giggled, taking the tightrope walker's hand and intertwining their fingers. She followed along with Doll as they made their way through the alleyways.

"What's your name?" Sally asked, breaking the silence that fell between them.

The tightrope walker looked down at the painfully similar girl, forcing a smile. "Call me Doll." She struggled to keep her voice from cracking.

The shorter brunette smiled up at her, as soft music began playing off in the distance. Gasping, she looked to Doll for the answer.

"It be yer coronation ceremony, milady." Doll kept the fake smile plastered to her face.

As they continued, the tune grew louder.

"_Tom he was the piper's son, he learned to play when he was young..._" The tightrope walker sang along as the song played over and over, growing louder and louder. She knew it was close to the end for the innocent girl, and gripped tighter onto her small hand. "_And all the tune that he could play, was 'over the hills and far away'..._" Her voice cracked as she sung, the carriage coming into view, the carriage that would take the innocent child to that disgusting man.

Tears rolled down her face as she led the girl to the carriage. "_Over the hills and a great way off..._" She looked away, helping Sally inside of what might as well have been a hearse. "_The wind shall blow my...my top knot off..._"

"Doll?" The victim to the tightrope walker's cruel crime gazed at her, confused. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm...I'm jus' so happy fer ye, milady." Doll smiled at the girl softly. "Well...ye be off now."

"You aren't coming with me?" Sally's face fell at the realization.

"Hey! You!"

The tightrope walker turned to see two officers emerge from an alleyway just down the street, and turned back to the innocent child. "There be bad men tryna stop yer coronation ceremony, but I won't let it happen, milady. I must fight fer ye honor, me _Princess_." She curtseyed, before shutting the door to the carriage.

"Go!" She shouted, and watched as the carriage sped away.

As soon as it was out of sight, Doll was left with one more task...

_There are no witnesses._

Joker's words rung in her ears as she ran towards the officers, her parasol held out in front of her. She set her gaze on both of them as she ran, silently praying for forgiveness as she made her way to the pair.

"Stand down!" The officer on the right shouted as a warning.

"Ain't no need fer shoutin', I'm right in front o' ye." She spoke with a seemingly bored tone as she gazed up at the men.

As soon as one of the officers took hold of the girl's arm, she was quick to stab him with the sharp point of the rigged parasol. She ripped it out and, with a cry, the man fell to the ground in fetal position, trying to stop the bleeding that came from the wound in his stomach.

Doll gazed down at the man, the same bored expression on her face. "Stop yelling, t'is pitiful, it is."

The other officer took advantage of the situation, being that the girl's attention wasn't on him for the time being, and he attempted to do the same as the other officer had - grabbing her arm in attempt to take her into custody.

She sighed, "Ye jus never learn, do ya? I hate t' do this, but..."

With a quick motion, the girl used the sharp weapon to impale the other officer as well - this time right through the skull. She watched as he fell to the ground, as the life drained from his eyes.

_They were only trying to protect the little girl..._

_Why couldn't anyone protect her?_

_Protection was never without a price..._

Doll squeezed her eye shut, trying to stop the tears from coming, when she felt a hand around her ankle. She turned around to see the first officer, the one that had been stabbed in the stomach.

He was still alive...

Biting her lip, the torn girl pulled her parasol out once more, ending the officer's life with a blow to the forehead.

She collapsed to the ground, shaking as the tears came, staining the artificial roses that decorated her dress. The girl had never killed anyone previously, for it was always her who stayed in the shadows. She had never thought in a million years that it would feel that horrible to put an end to an innocent person.

Doll saw how easy it was for the others to kill without a second thought, and even sometimes with a smile on their faces.

_This was the price they had to pay..._

"'Ey, Doll..." A hand rested on the distraught girl's shoulder. "Dry yer eyes n' let's get goin'...ye did great."

The tightrope walker looked up to see that it was Beast who had approached her. After a moment, she nodded and forced herself to stand.

After they returned to the circus, the first-stringers split up, taking different routes back to their their tents. They did this in order to avoid a suspicious confrontation with another one of the circus members, or maybe it was so they could wallow in their guilt privately.

On her way back to the tent, Doll caught a glimpse of who could only be Smile, who disappeared quickly into the darkness.

_Probably going to talk to Black._ The teenage girl thought to herself; she didn't have the energy to do anything, however, and ended up making her way back to her tent without confrontation.

She couldn't face anyone after what she had done that night.

* * *

The next morning, Doll was met with quite the surprise upon entering the mess tent - Alois and Smile were sitting alone, eating breakfast whilst having a seemingly enthralling conversation. The brunette had never seen the blonde so sociable and bright-eyed whilst talking to a newcomer, in fact, he usually just brushed them off completely.

"Looks like Blondie's warmed up t' 'im." A familiar voice came from beside the tightrope walker.

Doll looked up to see Joker, and her lips broke into a smile as she nodded.

Meanwhile, Alois and Ciel were conversing about a more pressing matter - well, Ciel was at least _trying_ to.

"So, back to the issue about the kidnappings-"

"Do you get to do this sort of thing all the time?" The blonde's eyes were practically sparkling as he cut off the eye-patch wearing lad yet another time.

With a sigh, Ciel nodded. "Naturally. It _is_ the Queen's Watchdog's duty, after all."

Alois clapped his hands together. "Oh, that must be ever so much fun! Going on different missions, traveling to different places-"

"It honestly isn't all what it is cut out to be. For instance, sometimes I have an annoying, bratty blonde following me around."

The fiery blonde narrowed his eyes at the boy in front of him. "Now surely you don't mean that."

"Why wouldn't I?" The Earl smirked. "You're just about the most irritating person I have ever met."

Alois pouted upon hearing this, and crossed his arms.

Ciel chuckled. "Come now...don't act that way. _You are also the most interesting person I have met._"

The blonde's lips pulled into a smirk. "I am?"

"But of course." The slate-haired boy smirked as well. "Your investigating and interrogating skills are far beyond anything I have ever seen before. You never gave up and, in the end, found out my true identity."

Normally, the Phantomhive boy wouldn't have admitted something like that to anyone. He never applauded others, especially for outsmarting him - beating him at his own game. However, _Blondie _was different, and Ciel just couldn't understand _what_ exactly made him so _different_.

"Well, I'm never one to give up." The smirk on the blonde's face only seemed to grow more twisted, and his eyes sparkled - he was clearly proud of himself. "When I want something, I get it."

At this, the young Earl raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly did you get out of this?"

"Your true identity, of course." Alois rolled his eyes, as if expecting Ciel to already know that. "I needed to figure out _why_ you were here."

"Do you do this with all of the newcomers? Ciel was genuinely interested by this point.

Alois shook his head. "I already knew who you were, I just needed proof."

"And how did you know who I was?"

The fire specialist rolled his eyes. "Who _doesn't_ know Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the Queen's Watchdog?" He scoffed. "You're being too humble. Plus..." The boy's icy blue eyes sparkled. "_We've met before._"

This came as a shock to Ciel, of course, and caught him off guard. "We...have?"

Alois nodded with a smirk. "I'm actually quite _offended_ that you don't remember me."

"Where did we meet?" The Earl asked, still very shocked.

"My father was still alive back then; he had taken me to a ball where I met you." The boy explained. "We didn't speak directly...in fact, I was just introduced, and you both spoke briefly."

Ciel was utterly at a loss as to how to respond. _He had really met this boy before?_ More importantly, he was the son of someone in high-standing?

_That would explain the use of formal English._

The young Earl had met many fathers and sons at balls, how could he possibly narrow the list down?

_Blondie_ had said that his father had "still been alive back then" and that did narrow down the list of possibilities quite a bit. Judging by the blonde's use of "back then", it was safe to assume that his father had to have died quite a while ago.

Perhaps they had met once he returned as the Phantomhive Earl.

_Just who was this boy, and why wasn't he living at his original home?_

_...Unless he was..._

Ciel was pulled from his thoughts by _Blondie_ waving his hand back and forth in front of the shorter boy's face.

"Hm?" The Earl looked up at _Blondie_, who was now standing.

"You spaced out." The boy giggled. "Thinking about me, hm?" He purred.

Ciel could feel his face heat up, and he quickly shook his head. "I was just trying to think back...who was your father?"

"Like I'd tell you." The fiery blonde snorted, rolling his eyes. "You only know me as _Blondie_, got it?"

Satisfied with the nod he received, Alois smirked as he turned to leave.

Ciel watched as the blonde left the tent, and the questions kept whirling around in his head.

The boy never ceased to amaze him.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**Uploading this before I end up rewriting it again... -.-**

**Alright - where to start?**

**Originally, I was going to just slap up the entirety of the relationship between the two boys in this chapter and reveal everything. Then I got to thinking, and I decided I would add some more Doll. ****I kind of want to stretch out the story, because I'm not one for detail and I just like to get to the point. BUT, I'm trying to fix that - so bear with me.**

**I strongly believe that the first-stringers have been viewed in a negative light for far too long - especially Doll. So, I decided to expand more on her character and her personal feelings. The scene with "Sally" was actually based off a scene in a roleplay I did as Doll. It was one of my favorites, so I thought: why not add it to my fanfiction?**

**Fun Fact: Sally (and some related names) means "Princess" - which I didn't even know of before writing the scene.**

**The more you know, yeah?**

**About the whole "Ciel and Alois" meeting before thing - that's more AU crap - so just a warning, the timeline may be tweaked a bit.**

**It also sucks to write in character for Ciel, so I apologize if I'm OOC... .**

**Review Replies**

**From: DissIsCourtneyxx**

**"Alois got clever xD**

**Ciel.. I dont think you're going to get away with anything"**

**No, no he isn't... XD**

**From: kitty tokyo uzumaki**

**"Kyaaaa! XD I can't wait for what comes next, oh Alois you complex person! You didn't disappoint at all! It's so weird how beautiful yet, sad the ending was. For some reason that scene and the one where Sebastian was with Beast and Grell found out! XD"**

**Thank you for reading - glad you enjoyed! The ending for me was kind of like closure, since they expanded on the last "circus arc" scene in the manga. To be honest, I was pretty pissed off that they just ended such a great story with great characters...like that. However, Book of Circus completely changed my view on that scene - it showed what ended up happening to them. They finally got to be free, and live together how they always wanted to. They wouldn't have to worry about being in danger anymore. Another little weird belief of mine is that they changed back to their old appearances because those were the people they could truly be around - the only people who wouldn't judge them because how they looked. Basically, they could finally be themselves without worrying about how they would be viewed by others.**

******Wow, that turned into a novel fast...**

**The scene where Grell found out about them was just...**

**I seriously have no words. XD**

**Thank you all for your reviews, favorites, and follows!**

**Until next time,**

**~Aszii**


	9. Chapter Nine: His Breaking Point

Alois was busy in the practice tent, trying to get the hang of his act once more. Now that the issue of Ciel's identity and purpose for being at the circus, the blonde knew he would be able to focus on his act. He didn't really care about Black or Suit, for they didn't concern him in the least. Plus, if he really wanted to know, he could probably just get all the information he wanted out of the Earl; the blonde knew well that he had the Phantomhive boy wrapped around his finger.

"So I see ye be practicin' again." The boy looked up to see Joker watching him, a smile present on his face. "Are ye ready t' start performin' wit' us again?"

Alois nodded with a smile in return. "Of course. I've missed it - performing with you guys, I mean."

The taller of the two nodded. "I be very glad t' hear that, fer we be missin' ya." He waved, before turning. "Hope ye be ready fer th' show tonight."

The blonde watched as the young man walked out of sight before resuming his practice. He was quite surprised that he could still juggle the batons as well as he had before, surprised that he still had the will to perform. However, it shouldn't have been all that surprising to him, right? The fire specialist loved the troupe with his whole heart, he cared for them as if they were family; moreover, he loved performing with them and wouldn't give it up for the world.

Now that the matter of a suspicious newcomer was out of the way, he could focus more on what should have been his top priority - they were the people who saved him, after all.

After juggling, Alois began to practice with the larger baton, reteaching himself the tricks he used to do. Even though the break had not been that extensive, the blonde had been more preoccupied with a certain Earl.

When he finally felt comfortable, the fiery blonde began to move around, dancing to a silent tune. He easily became distracted, lost in his own little world as he became completely absorbed in dancing.

He had missed the rush that he would always get whilst performing that particular portion of his act. He felt _free_, as if so engulfed by the flames that nothing, and no one, could touch him.

Alois always felt the painful memories of his past melt away as he danced on, twirling the baton around, twirling and twirling until -

"Hey, Blondie-"

_**BAM!**_

A certain brunette fell to the ground, holding the right side of her face.

Alois' heart stopped as he felt the contact, and it dropped to his stomach as he saw who it was that he hit.

"Doll- er...Freckles! Are you alright?!" The fire specialist bit his tongue - a small slip up like that in front of second-stringers could seriously mess up things for Doll. He dropped the baton after putting the fire out, and knelt down by the girl's side. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there and-"

Doll moved her hand away from her face, revealing a deep scrape with red outlining it. Alois then realized how close she came to almost losing her eyesight altogether.

_And it would all be his fault..._

The boy really cared for the tightrope walker - more so than any of the others, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he had been the one who hurt her so terribly.

The brunette held her hand up. "T'was my fault, it was. I should know not t' bother anyone while they're practicin'." She chuckled, though clearly hurt. "T'is jus' a scratch, it is."

Alois sighed, reaching a hand out to gently brush his fingertip against the new wound under the girl's only eye.

In that moment, he could see the terror in Doll's blue eye. The blonde could see just how terrified the girl had been, how she knew that she could very well have lost her only remaining eye.

The boy, biting his lip as he stood up, held out a hand before helping his friend up. "How about we get you fixed up at Doc's tent?" He asked.

Doll nodded. "That'd probably be best."

Alois still felt terrible for what he had done. Though it seemed as though the flames hadn't touched her face, and it was the baton that had sent her falling to the ground - he still felt terrible. He said a silent prayer that the girl's face wouldn't be scarred any further.

Upon making it to the tent, the wheelchair-ridden man looked up at the two. "Blondie, Freckles, what seems to bring you two here?" He asked, cocking his head to the side in question.

"I accidentally hit her with my lit baton whilst practicing." The blonde boy muttered, looking extremely guilty.

"T'was my fault, it was." Doll waved her hands in front of her face. "I shoulda known better than t' get in th' way o' someone when they're practicin'."

The man pushed up his glasses, chuckling. "No need for explanation. Now, let me see the damage."

Alois pulled up a chair for the girl to sit on, and was given a gracious smile by the brunette as she took a seat.

He watched as Doc carefully examined Doll, before gently rubbing a finger over the wound just as the boy had. The man, upon seeing the girl flinch at the contact, smiled apologetically and pulled away. "Just a superficial - or a _surface_ - burn." The man spoke in a relieved tone.

_I guess even he was worried about her eye..._ Alois thought to himself.

"The flames may not have even touched you." Doc continued on, examining the girl's face once more. "What you _do_ have, however, is a gash from the baton hitting you. That's most certainly what's causing you the most pain right now. I'll have to clean and bandage it up, but don't worry, you'll be good as new in no time." He smiled at the girl.

"Well alright, might as well get it over with..." Doll sighed, trembling ever so slightly; she couldn't handle the thought of someone doing anything relatively close to her good eye.

Seeing her discomfort, Alois placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft, comforting squeeze.

The brunette reached up to rest her hand over the blonde's, smiling softly as she relaxed.

_What would she ever do without him?_

* * *

"My Lord, are you certain that this a wise idea? Are you forgetting the task at hand?" The man clad in black raised an eyebrow questioningly, looking down at a certain eye-patch wearing lad.

"Of course not, Sebastian." Ciel scoffed. "Knowing _Blondie's_ true identity will aid me greatly in this investigation - and, perhaps another." He had muttered the last part, though knowing fully that his butler could hear him anyway.

Sebastian sighed, "As you wish, my Lord." He bowed in front of the boy.

"Very well." Ciel waved the man away dismissively.

The two went their separate ways, the butler went off to investigate the mysterious blonde's true identity, while Ciel aimlessly wandered around the circus grounds.

The Phantomhive boy walked for quite some time before seeing a familiar pair emerge from the medical tent. Immediately recognizing those unmistakable platinum blonde locks, the young Earl hid behind a tent. Jealousy built up inside Ciel as he watched the two walk, _Blondie's_ arm draped over _Freckles'_ shoulder, pulling him close with a chuckle.

_What a revolting display._ He thought, continuing to follow them towards the _forbidden_ first-string area.

_Just what was his relationship with such a character?_

He was interested to find out, to say the least.

He was also somewhat confused as to why _Blondie_ was allowing _Freckles_ into an area that was supposed to be off-limits to second-stringers, but that just made him all the more interested.

They walked to one of the tents before disappearing inside without a sound. Carefully and quietly, Ciel made his way over to the tent, peering in through the canvas entrance that was cracked open ever-so-slightly.

"Doll, I-I'm really sorry..." The blonde boy spoke hoarsely, his tone filled with remorse.

_Doll?_ The Earl searched the tent, and found that unmistakable artificial white rose headpiece that lay on a vanity. _Freckles and Doll are the same person?_ While this certainly came as a shock to the slate-haired boy, he was rather embarrassed for not seeing the similarity of the covered eye that the tightrope walker had in both her performing and casual attire.

"Don't be sorry...t'was my fault, it was." The brunette sighed. "Please don't beat yerself up over it..."

"I just...I just can't believe I hurt you. I care about you all so much and I just..." _Blondie_ broke off, covering his face as his shoulders shook.

Ciel was rather shocked to see this side of the blonde. The way he had acted whilst investigating and interrogating him was aggressive and assertive - but now, the menacing boy seemed nothing more than a weak child, a circus performer that merely put on an act to stir up some drama.

Scoffing, the boy continued to listen to the scene that was playing out right in front of him.

"I know ye care about us all..." Doll's voice was soft and comforting, as she draped an arm over the boy's shoulder, pulling him close. "Ye care about us too much, ever since ya joined us all those years ago. We don't deserve it...yer kindness, I mean. We aren't good people, n' ye know that well. We dragged ye into terrible things, and that's why we don't deserve it."

"You and I both know that it isn't your fault..." The blonde sighed. "You know that well. I care about you all, no matter what...e-especially you..." He looked up at the slightly taller female.

A light shade of blush spread across her cheeks, and she pulled away slightly to push some hair behind her ears. "Y-Ye mean that...?"

_ Blondie_ nodded, smiling at her. "Before joining your troupe, I never had anyone to care for. After Luka died I just...I just didn't care for anyone anymore, because I was afraid they would be taken away from me again." He shook his head. "But that's besides the point...you...you and the others gave me something to care for once again. However, I...I care for you so much more and I just...I just can't help it."

Ciel was burning with his newfound jealousy, a jealousy that he had never felt before.

As soon as the girl leaned close to the boy, closing her eyes softly as she moved in, the Phantomhive couldn't take it anymore and tripped himself in order to fall into the tent. "Ouch..." He sighed, pulling himself up to see the two in front of him.

The brunette pushed the blonde away from her, blushing profusely as she did so.

"Ye shan't be in here..." Doll narrowed her eyes after composing herself, crossing her arms as she took a step away from Blondie.

"I-I'm sorry...I was looking for _Blondie_ and-"

The blonde boy scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I apologize. He's hopeless without me." He smirked before walking over to the Earl. "Come with me, it's rude to be in a lady's private quarters." Smirking, the boy led Ciel out of the tent.

"Wait! What about-"

Alois turned back to face Doll, a smile on his lips. "Don't worry about it, Doll. I won't let him tell anyone."

As they left the tent and made their way back towards the second-stringers' area, the blonde looked to Ciel, sighing. "What were you thinking?" He spoke in a low tone, trying not to draw attention to their situation.

The question was simple enough, but the young Earl found himself struggling to answer.

He couldn't tell _Blondie_ the truth, for that would damage his pride.

However, he knew he had been caught.

"I just wanted to see where you and _Freckles_ - erm... Doll, were going." The eye-patch wearing lad knew that the boy wouldn't believe his excuse at all.

The fiery blonde rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as the two walked. "By the way, don't mention that _Doll_ is _Freckles_."

Ciel, though relieved he didn't get called out on his poor excuse, was confused as to why the girl had two different aliases. "Why is that?" He was genuinely interested in the mysterious tightrope walker.

"In order to keep a close eye on the newcomers, to see if they are genuine or not." The boy responded. "Newcomers are usually intimidated by the first-stringers, so Doll acts as _Freckles_ in order to get information from them - where they come from and who they are, for examples." He chuckled softly. "She's a really nice girl, the nicest I've met. I think, she really just wants a friend, someone to relate to."

The Earl's eyebrows raised as they made their way to their own shared tent. He didn't respond, however, for he was taking in what _Blondie_ had told him.

This _Doll_ was also a very interesting character.

Though not as interesting as _Blondie_, she still held some interest.

"So, you were jealous of me and Doll, right? That's why you burst in like a bloody fool when we were about to share a little _moment_, yeah?" A smirk spread across the blonde's face as he lay on the bottom bed.

Ciel's face went red as he stared down at the boy laying on his bed, he raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms. Scoffing, he said, "Of course not. I just didn't want you to do anything you would regret later."

"Oh...?" _Blondie_ spoke with mock interest as he sat up. "Just why would I _regret_ getting a kiss from a pretty girl?"

"B-Because it is wrong to give away your first kiss to someone whom you do not wish to spend your life with..." The Earl's excuses became worse by the second - now he was thinking of morals? Something which, he himself wasn't standing by. He was betrothed, for heaven's sake, and now he had become jealous over seeing the rather _suggestive_ relationship between Doll and _Blondie_?

What was _wrong_ with him?

The boy actually threw his head back to allow himself to laugh, before standing up. "You don't understand, do you? I'm stuck here _forever_...we all are. We've been thrown away like _trash_, left to _rot_. Doll is the only girl I truly relate to in this _hell hole_, and she's the _only_ one I truly care for anymore." He got closer to the shorter boy, and stared straight into his eyes. "That wouldn't have been my first kiss, anyway. I've been kissed more times than you could possibly count."

Ciel swore that he saw _Blondie's_ eyes brim with tears as he took a step back, allowing himself to fall back onto the bed once more. He watched as the blonde stared up at the bottom of the top bed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

He knew he had struck a chord with the boy, watching as the blonde curled up in fetal position like a child.

"Hey..." The Earl sighed, sitting down beside the blonde. He had never been one to comfort others, but _Blondie_ was _different_.

"Just...just leave me alone, okay?" The blonde whimpered in a tone not at all like the sarcastic one he was known for.

"I won't." Ciel responded, shaking his head.

"Why must you be _so_ persistent?!" _Blondie_ turned over to glare at the Phantomhive boy. "What do you want from me?!"

"I just want to know why you are so pained..." The Earl frowned, pulling the blonde to him.

As soon as the boy felt the physical contact, he did his best to try to push himself away from the other. "Piss off!" He shouted, twisting in the slate-haired boy's arms.

"Calm down!" Ciel shouted, surprised at how easily the blonde could be set off into a panic. This only inclined the Earl to hold the boy closer, his heart ached as the boy started to sob.

"Just let me go...just let me go..." _Blondie_ refused to make eye contact, chanting the same words over and over.

The Phantomhive boy kept his hold on the other, squeezing his eyes shut as the blonde's voice chanted the same line. Usually, this sort of _nonsense_ would have set the boy off, but there was something about the blonde that made him different.

Maybe his familiarity? How genuine his panic really was? How he seemingly turned on the circus who took him in?

What ever it was, it intrigued and _attracted_ the Earl.

"Is it a bad time?"

Ciel was jolted awake by the voice, looking up to see Sebastian peering into the tent. The boy didn't know how long they had been in that same position on the bed, but he must have drifted off at some point. He looked down, seeing that the blonde had fallen asleep in his arms as well.

The Earl shook his head in a silent response, gently resting the blonde on the pillow that lay neatly at the head of his bed, before standing up.

He left the tent, eager to hear Sebastian's findings.

* * *

**~Author's Note~**

**It's been long enough. I'm so sorry for not updating sooner.**

**I hope this stupid chapter made sense. It's basically me trying to write when my mind is so jumbled an preoccupied with a bunch of pointless crap that upsets me...**

**Sorry, I ship Alois X Doll as well, and there's also a reason for why I put dabbles of them in this particular chapter.**

**It'll be revealed in time.**

**I also absolutely adore concerned Ciel, so that's why that was added.**

**I JUST CAN'T WAIT TO REVEAL WHERE THEY MET BEFORE.**

**Who are you kidding, Aszii...it isn't even that awesome.**

**Sorry, Ciel may be OOC, but he has totally and completely fallen into Alois' web. - My excuse for not being able to write for Ciel's character.**

**I'M SUCH A HORRIBLE PERSON I'M SO SORRY!**

**So much CRAP has been going on and writer's block is a complete BITCH to deal with...**

***Commence the rant (I'm actually surprised if anyone reads this)***

**First off: I've been back and forth to and from the States to visit my sick great grandmother who is suffering from pneumonia and early stages of dementia. Long story short she's been put through hell and we've had to be there for her. She just celebrated her 96th birthday on October 31st and is still going strong, despite her shortcomings.**

**Second: I've drifted away from the Kuro fandom (don't murder me, okie? ;_;). To be honest, the Kuro fandom is filled with so much drama that I just can't be bothered with. It's so bad that I've drifted away from loving the story as a whole, and that isn't something I enjoy. I love these characters, and wish I still had the same adoration for the series I used to.**

******Third: I've been struggling with drama on the stupid little app known as Instagram. My Doll account is overridden with douchebags who don't even know they're douchebags. Does that even make sense?**

**Fourth: I've been spending most of my time with a lil' game called Five Nights at Freddy's. *innocent smile* I've beat the whole game (except for the 20/20/20/20 challenge), I've cosplayed Chica (check my DA: .com if you want to see it - I'm pretty proud), I've actually drawn fanart, AND I'VE STARTED SHIPPING...**

**I'm a really horrible person...**

**Also, my Blondie Instagram account is basically dead. So there's that.**

**I'm so sorry guys, I don't even know anymore...**

**I just want to do so much but I don't have the motivation.**

**As always, thank you for the follows, favourites, and - of course - reviews!**

**Until next time,**

**~Aszii**


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